DIALOGUE

A Solstice Meditation by Paulette Newman

We celebrate the Winter Solstice
The rebirth of the Sun,
The longest night that comes within the year.
We often curse the dark,
As though a world made all of light would be perfection.
There is no night without a dawn; there is no dawn without a night.
Let us celebrate the dark, the gift of night,
Not just a backdrop for the candles and the stars, but
A world transformed by mystery and magic, a refuge from the glare and heat;
A velvet robe of stillness, a rhythm in our blood,
A state of being which lets us walk within or feel the gentle touch of sleep
And find the wellsprings driven deep into our souls, that are our dreams.

When in those dreams, the monsters come or else we flee from nameless, formless things,
May we find a way to end the spending of ourselves in running,
To stand within a winter stillness, though all seems bare and barren,
Remembering that we have planted in our hearts the seeds of Spring to give us hope;
Recalling the growing season, the sun and storms of summer to give us strength,
Sifting through the Autumn harvest of our memories to find the nourishment we need
When all seems dim and chill.
Then, in spite of all our fears, may we turn back, no longer the prey,
But hunters now who chase the monster down, not to destroy, but once we've cornered it,
To face the beast, with eyes and arms, minds and hearts and spirits open wide,
So we may look into those monstrous eyes and see ourselves.
For these are gifts of darkness too, the doubt and fear and discontent,
that lead us to the pieces of ourselves that we have lost or left behind or thrown away.
May we find these shadow selves and name them one by one so we may call them home again,
Drawing them into our arms so that we may be whole.
May we find within the beast the beauty hiding there,
Truth and transformation from within, a fierce, empowering love.

We celebrate the Solstice,
The turning of the year,
The point of change, the turning of our selves.
May we go rejoicing into the night.
May we go bravely into the dark,
Each one of us alone.  And all of us, together.