happy renewal to all

“The purpose of nearly all rebirth rites is to unite the above with the below.” ~ Carl Jung, Letters Vol.I, pages 259-261

Serra de Estrela mountain range, Portugal, 2022.

Today is Christmas, for those who celebrate it. For the rest of us, it may be just another day closer to the end of this year. One way of another, it is a good time, a fruitful time, for reflection. I am personally not big on holidays - never have been - especially not the religious ones. In Serbia, the tradition is to exchange gifts and celebrate on the New Year’s Eve. That tradition has always been festive and exciting for me. Serbians celebrate Christmas on January 6th and 7th (similarly to Greeks, Russians, Armenians and a few other folks), and the celebration involves going to church as well as the blessing and the burning of the yule log - which interestingly began as a part of the winter solstice festivities. But even when I was living in Serbia, I wasn’t particularly celebrating Christmas. It was more a token of appreciation for my grandmother, and what it meant to her, and going to her house for family lunch and gathering when she was alive, and when I was younger. Since my grandmother lived during the times of communism in Yugoslavia, and experienced the times when celebrating religious holidays wasn’t allowed, it was all about giving her the delight and joy to cook for all of us, burn frankincense incense in her house, and gather her family.

Since I moved to the States, I would either spend the holidays with friends and family of those who celebrate, or simply by going out for a dinner to a Chinese restaurant - like most immigrants would do - as they are open for Christmas (when are they not open?!) and usually offer a welcoming and inclusive experience for those of us who are not with our families, those without a tradition of their own, or simply not celebrating. This seems to be a ritual for some of us - including me.

There was another significant event happening this week - the winter solstice (in the Northern hemisphere). Winter solstice falls on December 21st and it is the shortest day of the year - or, more importantly, the longest night of the year. Prolonging of the nights holds an evident psychological process in our relationship to the night. We don’t see that well at night, and therefore we are more vulnerable and sensitive. There is an inherent human fear of the dark in all of us. It is impulsive and instinctual - an embodied ancient and primal experience of a kind of death. It is a symbol for the unconscious, the shadow, death and the underworld.

Psychologically, it is about how to rest in the slow and, seemingly, depriving wintering process. The theme, overall, is the stepping out of the darkness and return of the light. Michael Meade, in his most recent online event, shared that the word “solstice” means “sun stands still” - in a sense that, at the darkest time of the year “the pulse of life” stops for an endless moment. In the continuous stretch of the night, “the sun stops for a pregnant moment in which timelessness renews time and brings the light back from the darkness”. When understood symbolically, this also represents our inherent ability to move from the darkness of unconsciousness to being more conscious, more aware, or as people tend to say, enlightened. This also resembles a perfect moment for connecting with one’s soul, as the human soul was in the past considered and known as “the light found in the darkness”.

In the winter it gets cold, animals hibernate, growing cycles shut down; winter is a season of loss, for many - plants, and some life, as well. We, modern creatures, are however not in touch with it that much. We have a cycle in our body that wants to sleep more during this time, and some of us may experience a seasonal mood disorder during this season. But we might not be aware that the essence of renewal is exactly in this, seemingly dead, cycle. Creation keeps going on, it is happening at all times, even when it is not on the surface and obvious to us. This is the time to tune into our soul, into a ritual, to nature, to the whole cosmos. Many myths and stories are showing us that there is a lot of activity actually during this time - a lot of stirring underneath the earth, and in the underworld. There is this going underneath the earth as a part of death and dying, and then going above as a part of rebirth and renewal.

For our psyche, if we were to “rest into this pregnant wintering process” it would look like time for self-reflection, quietude and ripening, time for paying attention to our dreams and fantasies, for staying in bed longer and taking it easy and slow. However, this is unusual for most of us humans - to turn towards the darkness. What if we honor this natural cycle, if we go into that dark place and see what it holds for us? There is wisdom in darkness - there is richness and opportunity. Even in South California when I am, where it does not get as cold as many other places, winter is still here - it is a darker, cooler, misty and foggy season. There is certainly this idea of a fertile, heavy, pregnant darkness.

Through a podcast I have listened to recently (This Jungian Life), I learnt that bears are birthing their cubs in the time of the winter hibernation. They surface in the spring with their newborn cubs. All of this happens under the ground, while nothing is happening on the surface and seemingly everything is dead - mostly because that is what we tend to associate with the winter season - but, there is the emerging. The life force seems to be present under the ground, and it may be sleepy and slow, reflective, directed inwards, but in spite of all that - it is still creative and it generates. Bears go into a deep-freezing and motionless state, only to emerge into a completely new life. How magical and perfect nature is! The mystery of renewal is intertwined into each aspect of us human beings in the same way it is fabricated into the cycles of nature. The moments like winter solstice clearly speak for the ongoing and continuing process of creation.

This time urges us to renew our deep connection to darkness itself, and to recognize the unrevealed relationship between time and timelessness, between birth, death and renewal. The winter solstice represents the big puzzle of a renewal - which is the essence and the heart of life. It is the mystery of that which takes us from unconsciousness to a greater consciousness and awareness. Winter solstice creates for all an opportunity to relinquish that which holds us back in life before starting fresh and from scratch - just like the sun does it each year. In facing that darkness, when the light of the soul expands within each of us individually, it contributes to the universal inspiration which is necessary if we are to bring greater appreciation to the world, and revive the sense of human community and connection.

There are many myths and stories that speak of the return of the light, or rebirth this time of the year. Persephone myth is one of them. Without going into the details of the myth itself, I will just say that Persephone, a young maiden, was abducted by Hades, the God of the underworld. The myth says that Persephone was very unhappy at first, but after some time, she came to love Hades and lived happily with him. Eventually, Persephone emerges as the queen of the underworld. The myth is associated with the spring and winter - when Persephone emerges on the earth, it’s springtime, and when she descends to Hades in the underworld, it is winter. There is clearly the mystery of how life generates in the dark, in the underground. We often can’t see this, as it is very different from how spring and sun can move us - but darkness must be used somehow as well. What wintering brings for us is an opportunity to expand into our inner world where the restoration is promised. The only thing that is asked of us is to stand and hold our own, against the darkness - not to fight it, but to somehow use it. We may wonder what happened to Persephone in the underworld so that she emerged fully changed. Something certainly did. She changed, developed - she discovered her own fertility in the mystery of the darkness. Just like we can discover our own. In the times of wintering, we can give birth to things, and to our own power.

Large marble structure of Hades and Persephone, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1622.

This, right here, is a symbol of light. Somehow, in the darkness, the darkness itself gives way and creates its opposite - the light. There is an element of development, an element of creation and rebirth. That is the joy and the promise of this season - that light will be born of the dark; that consciousness and awareness will be born of the unconsciousness. This is why it is essential for all of us to be interested and liable for our own consciousness especially as a response to the chaos in the world. We, however, might not be adequately conscious. At least not yet. When the consciousness is removed, even just decreased, we are much more vulnerable to all the manipulation and the overload of propaganda and bullshit. Our consciousness is very vulnerable. The light of consciousness is essential for discerning one thing from another. And, it is important - if not, necessary - that each one of us finds our own inner light, as no change will be coming from anywhere else but our own inner self. So, what do you think? What do you perceive? What do you feel is important for you?

During the darkest night of the year, let’s turn towards the light of our own soul. We are such temporary creatures, and at the same time we are tied to eternal things. And, as we live in dark and turbulent times, it is important that we relearn the secret connections between time and timelessness, between the darkness and the light.

Happy solstice.

The promise of continued life.

The light will return.

Serra de Estrela - renewal after the fire, December 21st, 2022.

---

As always, I am grateful for your subscription! If you feel inspired or moved, if you feel seen or heard, or you find it relatable you can offer me a tip! PayPal me or Venmo me. You can also upgrade your subscription to a paid membership. Until next time!

Stay safe. Marina