We Are Here - The Present of Being Present

The Winter Solstice is here. In the Northern Hemisphere we are tilted away from the Sun and so we experience the longest night of our Earth year. In Taoist language it is yin with yin.

The dark, yin, feminine aspects of the night are often met with apprehension. What goes bump in the night? Could it be our own fear of slowing down? The cold slows the movement of matter and yet as a society we try to resist it. In our culture, slowing down is often seen as weakness. I would instead offer that a slowing down provides an opportunity for reflection, recovery, and recuperation, which is needed to retain and rejuvenate our strength. This moment, when fully appreciated, allows us a complete pause and a full exhale.

The cold season is necessary. It provides the environment a chance to rest and our watershed a chance to refill. It can feel melancholy or sad, but this energy is the balance we need. Physically, we need our sleep and we need our rest, so the long night reminds us and helps us do this. It is a time to focus on strength-building exercises that mimic our environment - slow movements, a lot of repetition.

Emotionally, reflection and appreciation for those that came before us - our loved ones and loved memories - are especially important in this time. Even those memories we still find regretful, if we give them a moment on the eve of the solstice and set them free, we can release ourselves and notice the light in the darkness, the yang in the yin, the dawn after a long night.

After the solstice, the days get longer, the nights get shorter, and we move toward the Equinox, an even split of night and day. These days of rest and reflection are limited, so honor them.