Once upon a time, I spent 4 days in the hospital recovering from surgery.
And I loved it.
What I loved most was middle of the night. I’d wake up just enough to sense a nurse standing very near me, touching my arms, tucking me in, reading my vitals.
Sometime a doctor would come in too. I’d feel the gentle touch of the stethoscope to my chest.
I liked feeling tended while I slept. I liked knowing that they “had me” so I could rest deeply and heal.
So that’s what I’m gonna offer you.
This Saturday is Winter Solstice, the heart of the dark half of the year.
It heralds The Dreaming, a season that is neither here nor there, a time when you let go and float formless.
There’s no archetype, no anointing oil like with the other seasons. There’s no work to be done, other than to rest and dream.
So as you rest, I’m going to come check on you, read your vitals. This will be in the form of brief, sweet Arche-telegrams, just enough so you know I “have you” while you rest and dream.
This tending starts now, with tucking you in.
Resist the urge to beg for “the light to return” as your Winter Solstice ritual. Resist focusing on the lack of light, and focus instead on the abundance of dark.
This is what distinguishes you from the kid who’d rather stay up all night and be shit the next day. You appreciate a nice, long sleep so you can be fresh instead.
If we never rest within the year, we’re like that kid who never went to bed. We get cranky, unreasonable, prone to tantrums and half-assery.
Nobody likes that.
So, it’s the bedtime of the year. Like any night, when the house settles down, and the roads grow quiet. When the TV gets turned off, along with the porch light.
Sunrise will come soon enough, but for now it’s time for bed. Time to rest, time to restore and refresh for the sake of your future self.
If not your whole being, like the bear in her cave, then part of your being. Let something rest. Let some part of your consciousness dream.
This Saturday, on Winter Solstice, invite stillness and slowness in. Let the long night cradle you while you sleep.
I’ll be in to check on you.
Sweet dreams.
Sleep in heavenly peace.
love & dreaming,
kv
