Solstice Reflection
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In a dark time the eye begins to see. —Theodore Roethke
Solstice celebrations capture the moment when the darkness gives way to the light. For thousands of years, people have tried to hold onto that moment of joy and certainty.
Five thousand years ago at Newgrange, in Ireland, people built a circular structure that let a shaft of light travel deep into a central chamber at the dawning of the winter solstice. There, the light pierced the darkness and illuminated intricate symbols, including eye-shaped carvings. We can imagine how the anxiety caused by the approaching darkness was relieved when the light was seen making its journey down the shaft. Then, observers could predict their future with confidence.
In time, after the winter, the growing and harvest seasons would follow.
Constructing shafts for the light to penetrate deeply into the central chamber of our hearts is an effort that must take place in a time of waiting and uncertainty, in a time before “the eye begins to see.” It is a time when adjustments need to be made. Christians call it Advent, a time to prepare for the arrival of the Son, the light of the world.
So much of what we do in life depends on how we respond to this waiting moment.
Such a time can be met with confidence and anticipation or anxiety and despair; confidence that the light will be seen again, or anxiety that it may never return. We are in such a moment today. Violence, whether we call it war or terrorism, fills our minds. Compassionless public policies gnaw at our hearts as the season of compassion approaches.
What can we do in this waiting moment?
Practice imagining the dawning shaft of light as it makes its way into your own heart. To direct this light requires us to, as Dag Hammarskjold suggests, “vanish as an end and remain purely as a means.” No small task. But if you doubt its effectiveness, think of those who have made a difference in your life and what they have selflessly given you. Or think of the man whose life we celebrate at Christmas. Jesus, it is clear, vanished as an “end” and lived only as a “means.”
Join with others. No solitary individual assembled the great circular stones at Newgrange. People gathered together to build a chamber where the light could be reflected in others’ eyes. Waiting is not the same as being passive. Living in this dark time requires active waiting.
The only question is: Will we, in this waiting time, build a chamber where the light can be reflected widely enough so that others can see its beauty?
Published by Skinner House in 2003 in How We Are Called: A Meditation Anthology, by Rev. Stephen Shick. Mary Benard and Kirstie Anderson, editors.
- Solstice Reflection - December 1, 2012
