As I write this from where I sit on the planet, we are in the longest periods of darkness of the year - the days (and weeks) before the Winter Solstice.

So often when we talk about the coming Solstice, it is a heralding of the return of the light but that’s not what is most apparent in our lives right now. Front and center - in so many ways - is the inky blackness of the darkest nights (sunset at the moment is before 5pm where I live).

And we tend to be afraid of the dark.

There’s a very practical side to this fear - we as human creatures are more vulnerable in the dark. There are many creatures who navigate the dark with greater ease than we do and some of them are hunters. In our human lineage, those who strayed too far from the safety and comfort of the fire faced real threat. To counter that threat, we learned to gather together, to stay near what shone brightest and to celebrate the light - be it sunrise, fire, or lamplight.

We learned to turn away from the dark and to be afraid of what lurks there.

But when it comes to our relationship with ourselves, our fear of the dark corners and unvisited (and often denied) spaces within limits our ability to truly, deeply and honestly know ourselves and responsibly captain the ship of our lives.

In a nutshell, our habit of extending the very practical wariness we have of the dark outside of us to the shadowy depths inside of us keeps us bound, limited, small and afraid of our fullness.

​

This has me asking myself - How might we make use of these dark days of the year to support our flourishing as the light returns?

​

As I pondered this, I encountered this take on the Death card from The Radiant Tarot by Alexandra Eldridge and Tony Barnstone.

The Death card in tarot speaks not only of the decline or decay of something but the space it makes for the inevitable rebirth that follows.

When I look at this card, I see that what has fallen away in our lives - what has run its course, what we’ve loved, what we’ve lost, what we’ve grown from, through and out of - these all form the rich compost into which we are firmly anchored and from which we are free to rise to our fullest height, grow to our fullest potential, and bloom to our fullest brilliance.

And the cycle is timeless and unending - (re) birth → life → death → and so on - and all of nature is subject to the turning of this wheel.

​

When we remain invested in our fear of the dark within us and unable to be honest about what has been broken down to fuel our endless reaching for the light, we deny ourselves access to the fullness of who we are and what we are truly made of.

Our continued belief in some flattened out version of our very complex, very messy and very robust nature limits our view of ourselves (and one another by extension) and gives us access to only the tiniest sliver of the potential energy we very naturally possess within us (remember the childhood rhyme insisting that “girls are sugar and spice and everything nice” and "boys are snips and snails and puppy dog tails" - so simple, right?!?) .

​

So my invitation to you in the days between the darkness of today’s New Moon in Sagittarius and the Solstice on Dec 21st/22nd is to consider what is made possible in our lives b/c of the dark.

​

You might take a moment to consider the artwork and symbolism of this Death card (or any that you have access to) and ask yourself -

What is made possible by the dark - the rest and resourcing that darkness encourages; the introspection and reflection; etc?

What is made possible by the endings and the many other versions of death we will invariably encounter in our lifetime - the honoring, the celebrating, the mourning, the joy, the grief and everything in-between?

What parts of our radiant earthly existence are necessarily anchored in the fertile ground of the darkness, the decay, the remnants of what has been?

And then, before the light rises into prominence once again beginning with Solstice, how might you take one small step toward dissolving your fear of the dark within and honoring the wisdom found there?

​

Sending You Love.

Honoring the Brilliance of Your Darkness.

Tawnia

PS: Your opportunity for 6 months of 1:1 support from me in 2024 is coming in January. If you’d like to learn more about being closely companioned as you consciously create your most liberated and true-to-you life, hit reply and I’ll send you the details. (🎁 snag a bonus 1:1 session when you join before the end of the year)
​

---

Here's what I'm up to:

🦋 Soul Deep Sessions - I'm available to support you to live a life that feels more fully yours starting from exactly where you are and without having to clear the slate and start from scratch. Soul Deep Sessions are single 1:1 intuitive energy healing and spiritual mentoring sessions designed to give you a dose of the nourishment you need most in that moment. These sessions are great when you want to soothe your system, set something in motion, think something through, or work something out. LEARN MORE HERE​

✍️ What's Your Intention? charting an aligned course for 2024 & beyond - It’s time to chart an aligned course - one that holds you as lovingly as you hold others; one that supports you as fully as you support everyone else; one that has ample space for you and for all that you wish to show up for in this world - that will carry you through 2024 and beyond. Join me on January 13th from 2-3:30pm for a free 90-minute intention-setting workshop - REGISTER TODAY​

​
​

​
​

---

---

Useful Links:

Visit the Virtual Healing Arts Studio​

Access the Community Library​
​
Visit the Calendar of Live Classes​

​