What gives light in winter

“Still, what I want in my life
is to be willing
to be dazzled—
to cast aside the weight of facts

and maybe even
to float a little
above this difficult world.
I want to believe I am looking

into the white fire of a great mystery.
I want to believe that the imperfections are nothing—
that the light is everything—that it is more than the sum
of each flawed blossom rising and falling. And I do.”

― Mary Oliver, House of Light

Now through December we will slowly watch darkness overcome light. December 22 is the Winter Solstice, when one of the earth’s poles has its maximum tilt away from the sun. It is the darkest day of the year. This can be a difficult time for many as we love light. I love the light-filled warm evenings which stretch into the late hours.

How do we create light in winter? Where can we find the “white fire of a great mystery?” I can think of three things that I have learned that can bring light to me in the midst of darkness.

1. Wake up each day and begin it in quietness in a place with light. There is mystery in that. You can grab coffee or tea, but slowly move your body and mind into the day. You can meditate or pray or sit silently. You could also use some time to write and reflect not on “facts,” but to “float above the world.”
2. Go outside when it is most likely to be at the warmest hour of the day and plant yourself where you can receive sun. Presently, where I live that’s around 2-3 pm. This week I was biking on the boardwalk in some neighboring towns and I saw a group of people seated on what they call a “wisdom bench.” A small building was behind them protecting them from the wind and they were facing the autumnal sun. That is putting yourself in the path of light.
3. Serve another person or an animal. Bring light into another person’s life. Visit someone or help in a food kitchen or just say hello to a neighbor. Walk a dog or care for some animals in need of love. I care for two cats — Cole Porter and Dapper Dan — who were left behind in my neighborhood. They get me up early checking their food and making sure they are warm through the winter nights.

Now, you may love the cold and the dark and all this fuss about light may mean nothing to you. Then go out and enjoy the darkness and the stars twinkling in the night. But, like Mary Oliver, “be willing to be dazzled.”