Here we are heading down the path to Winter’s Solstice on December 21st. This is the dark time, the time that the sun shines on us the shortest, and we have the darkness to enfold us. For many of us this is a time we dread.

I am here to present you with a re-framing of that attitude. What if this time of year is an opportunity to pull in and rest? To relax and reflect on all the projects you worked on over the year? To have the down time you need for balancing the very active lifestyle you live the rest of the year? What if this time of dark is a natural opportunity to look for that quiet voice that softly tells you what living a congruent and authentic life really is like?

All of this flies in the face of our cultural belief that in order to be a successful and better person, we must “do, do, do.” Coming from a cyclically seasonal perspective, the natural time of “doing” activity is when the light is growing in the spring and summer, with its climax on the Summer Solstice around June 21st. The seeds we have planted (literally or figuratively) are in full growth.

Our preferring the “doing” definition of success results in a strong resistance to the slowing down this time of year naturally suggests. We respond anywhere from hating this time of year to jumping into the flurry of activities our holiday celebrations present to us; madly shopping or pushing ourselves to party hearty. Even if you like the party aspect of this time of year, be aware of how pushed you might feel to reach out when you might authentically feel the desire to curl up on the couch with a cozy blanket, a good book, soft music in the background and candles lit all around.

Winter, with its onset being the Winter Solstice around December 21st, is the natural time for allowing the space we need to let go of what is left over from fall’s harvest to make space for the new that will happen again in the spring. When we allow the balance of this “being” time to be an integral part of our lives, it can be an effortless relaxation into the comfort that the dark has the potential to represent. It provides the opportunity to be quiet, to actually sleep in ☺, to play with those creative projects that have been waiting in the wings for us, to get to know the sweet part of us that is our divine aspect or…..to slow down and smell the Christmas tree (I am a die-hard fresh tree fan!).

I am reminded that this is the time of year to fully embrace the concept that we are not human “doings.” Rather, we are human beings. With our 24/7 electric lights and our prevalent cultural preference for being active all the time, we forget this truth. This time of year can provide a chance for us to try on the “being” concept in a natural way.

I invite all of you to play with this concept of embracing this time of year in all its quiet glory: embrace the dark. I have just launched a forum on my Facebook page to allow for this conversation to continue. I would love to hear from you as to what your experiences are! You can start discussing here!