I want to celebrate. It is the solstice, and so many holidays are here, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, New Years. But the days have been getting so dark lately, not just in terms of being the darkest time of the year, but emotionally. It’s also cold today. And the numbers of those sick from COVID is frightening. Two friends of mine are suffering now from the illness and must quarantine. No holidays with friends and family this year.
It can seem like we are all in quarantine, at least emotionally. When some of us are in quarantine, a part of all of us is in hiding, from the news and crazy weather if not from the pandemic.
In the four years that DJT was unfortunately in office, he fostered fear and oppression, hate and violence. He did this it seems in an effort to shock us so frequently or create enough chaos we would surrender and allow him to crown himself King or anoint himself absolute ruler just to turn off the fear. This is why the GOP have been working feverishly to strip away our voting rights and protections. But to allow him to seize power would only make the threat inconceivably worse.
And even though, thankfully, we now have a caring and rational President in Joe Biden, this might seem to many like just a pause, a calm before the storm. It might seem like the efforts of those who would rip our rights and lives from us are succeeding.
And the state of the earth itself is adding to this darkness, not only with normal seasonal changes but with abnormal roars of dismay and anger over our abuse of the planet. Historic windstorms and tornadoes last week followed record droughts and fires in the summer and fall, shaking us to realize what happens when the earth warms too precipitously.
What is there to celebrate?
My wife and 2 of our 3 cats are sitting near to me. We create a place of safety, a haven or home for each other. Outside, the green grass is lightly coated with white. The tufted titmice, blue jays, and chickadees are energetically diving down to get the food we left for them and carry it off to eat.
The winter solstice clearly signals both an end, and a beginning, but of what, besides a date on a calendar? Our ancestors, the earliest humans, might have met the dark unsure if the light would ever come again. They might have felt they were returning to the birth of the universe or of life itself, when the world was born from the womb of matter or chaos. They might have wondered what they had done to create the dark. But if creation could triumph over destruction, then maybe light would return; maybe they would not only survive but thrive.
The universe itself can thus remind us of what is possible. The movement and tilt of the earth as it rotates around the sun brings seasons, night, and day. Likewise, we can help bring a new season of light to the human world.
We might feel or be in isolation, but in our minds, we can be with those we love, and imagine them standing with us. And if we breathe calmly, for just a minute or two, we can feel as if we were breathing together with them, and with all those we would like to see, including our animal companions. And the birds. The trees. We all together share the community of the breath.
When we think of others not just ourselves, and by acting in ways to keep us all safe, we then carry others in our heart and are less likely to feel lonely. Those who are selfish are in quarantine even when surrounded with people. When we wear masks, for example, we wear them in recognition of all those we see. No others, no need for a mask. So, when we enter a store, why not mentally wish all those present to be safe? Wishing others well not only makes relating to them easier but eases tension in ourselves.
DJT certainly has done way too much to divide and hurt this nation, but we must be careful not to unite him in our own mind with the archetypal or cosmic darkness. He might seem like Satan to many, but we must be careful not to imagine he has the power of Satan. His supporters bow down and surrender their power to him by giving him an almost cosmic significance. The rest of us must just recognize he breathes just like we do and must be held legally responsible for his crimes just like anyone else.
Every one of us is needed right now, to lend support to family, friends, and our nation. Just imagine thousands, millions pressuring politicians to care about those they serve, so they pass legislation that protects our health, our democracy, and the earth itself. Imagine millions pressuring Democrats to end the filibuster in the Senate, for example, so legislation to protect and advance voting rights can be passed. And then next spring there will be less of a threat to our democracy, more people able to vote and have their votes counted, and the political system will work more effectively to end the pandemic and lessen climate change.
This is my New Year’s wish.
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