Six days from now we’ll be there, we of Northern Hemisphere, shivering in the cold. Six days until we are surrounded by darkness, the shortest day of the year, the day the tiniest slivers of light, six days until we hit the bottom of this valley.
On the darkest day, the Winter Solstice in which we tilt ourselves the furthest away from the sun we will be for another full year, we have a choice as to what we focus on. We can feel the weight of all that night, or we can remember, we can hold tight to the truth that gets left behind:
The light is returning.
Six days until we celebrate this Solstice, until the festivity that was transformed into what we know as Christmas, begins. Six days until Yule, until the rebirth of our sun, our light bringer, until we realize something profound that has always been there, humming at the edges with warmth—We too can be light bringers, we too can shine in the emptiness.
For those of you familiar with this place, with this strange voice of mine, you’ll be no stranger to the theme that arises more often than almost any other around me, beside me, within me, this dichotomy between darkness and light. More than almost all things I sing of this juxtaposition and its role in my life, between the depths I fall to, the heights my arms can help me to soar to reach. This time of year, these days of such pitch and shadow, I find myself reflecting more than almost all others, and I find them deeply spiritual in so many ways. This year, especially after last week’s post on the desperate need to shine our lights into this night to remind others that you’re there, I’ve been thinking so much about not just shining a light, but being one.
Especially now.
This whole month kicked off with a plea, a North Pole Ninja plea to make kindness the entire point of this holiday season, to show the world that it still matters and that empathy and compassion not only have a place, they are the shapers of the place itself. So much of this is being a light bringer, a harvester of the glow we all miss so intensely this time of year when days get short and nights get long and the weight of so much night begins to crush us like rubble we’re trapped beneath.
What light, you ask, what possible shine can I offer this cold, dark world? You who might feel so heavy hearted, who might shuffle through the days of late sunrise and early sunset? What light can I give?
Ah my friends, my dear ones, I hope the fact that you’re reading this, that you found your way here to this Signal Fire (my goodness what a perfect name, I’m so proud that I chose this name for this place) means that somewhere within you, you know your light exists. Though you may doubt, though you may lose sight of the immensity of your warmth, somewhere within you it’s there, and I want you to see it again, to love it again.
Light is knowledge, it is love, understanding, light is compassion. Light is a helping hand, a listening ear, light is a meal made with care for someone too tired to make their own. Light is showing up, even when it’s hard, it’s hope thrown to another like a life saver overboard, it’s the defiance against the drowning that tries so hard to come. Light is a yes when a yes is needed, a No when it’s you that needs the space to say so. Light is love, it is love given so freely without any worry about reciprocation, it is reflection, it is kindness, my god it’s kindness in the end.
For you who feel this darkness encroaching, for you who forget the light of their being, there are ways to find it again, and I want to help. Here’s a little, short, tiny list of ways you can be a light bringer this Solstice, for yourself, for others, and they cost so very little.
Begin with Ritual - Create a ritual this Winter Solstice, hell start now if you wish, the days are just getting darker until the 21st, around the actual act of bringing light. Sometimes by beginning literally we can put the pieces into place for the metaphorical to take over. Each evening light a real candle and place it in the center of the darkness around you. Smell the smoke, the wax as it melts, watch the flame dance, watch the shadows it casts. Understand that even the tiniest flicker can transform the largest emptiness.
Reflect Internally - Next step in finding that light, is to reflect on the importance of it for you, in you. It’s to reflect on what light you know exists within, and to meditate on that truth. Mindfulness and gratitude on this brings about awareness, and that awareness breeds confidence. The more we study our own light, where it is brightest, where we need to add more fire, the more we can share it with others. This is the start, the next step is the advancement.
Kindness - This is the heart of the North Pole Ninjas book, the heart of what we’ve been trying so hard to revitalize in this season, the simple acts of kindness that can cost absolutely nothing but impact so much. Follow the missions in our children’s book you SHOULD ALREADY NOW OWN IF YOU FOLLOWED THE PLEA AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH (hahaha) and choose a different mission every single day from now until the holidays are over. Feel the way that light begins inside, warms you to your edges, and then spills out onto everyone else. It happens, I promise promise promise. That’s three times I promised. You’ll see.
We’re six days away from the darkest day, the longest night, but we get to choose how we see this, what light we decide to bring.
The point is, bring it, bring the light.
You are a light bringer, born to share your shine, I’m just here to remind you, I’m just here to ask to see it.
Hang tight my friends, we’ll get through it together.
On the darkest day
we must not forget the truth
that light will return.
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