November marks the beginning of the season of darkness. This is when the nights become longer and the days shorter, it becomes colder. It tends to become heavy during this time with all the coming holidays around the corner. We tend to have a sense of dread, fear and sadness because it is dreary, dark, and cold. But, this is all just what we are accustomed to believing and feeling during this season, time to retreat, becoming weighed down, sad, cold. Instead we can find a deeper sense of safety, calm and peace. For nature, this season of darkness is very much needed after a long hard warm, bright season. It is a time to rest, to shed in order to grow anew, time to reflect on the darkest parts of ourselves, to call upon those parts in order to accept and fall in alignment with the dark.
When we talk about the darkest parts of ourselves, this isn't anything bad, it is the parts of ourselves that maybe we shame internally, parts we hide from the world, parts we keep buried, parts in need of love and acceptance. This season of darkness that is rushing in is the greatest opportunity to turn inward, to reflect, dig deep and get a little uncomfortable. November is a time when we can explore the depths of our souls.
The season of darkness is part of the spiritual journey of growth, change and evolution. This is a time to root, to rest and renew. I will discuss few ways we can find peace in this season in order to fully surrender to the dark as Mother Nature herself does.
Turning inward, this is important when we are wanting to discover our shadow self, the darkness within, in order to learn more about who we are and learn to accept and incorporate parts of ourselves into our daily lives. This can be done by shadow work, there are many different books, journals and prompts you can find online to assist with this, questions to dive deeper into our soul to discover parts of ourselves that need healing, love and acceptance. Also, journaling is a great tool to working through the dark, getting our emotions and thoughts onto paper, getting it all out of our mind to reduce the feelings of overwhelm or heaviness. Meditation is a wonderful way to accessing the dark, focus on your breath, get your mind calm and then let a thought drift in, see where it leads, analyze it, then go back to the breath. During meditation, you can prepare with a few questions you want to ask yourself, be open to receiving a message from your inner self with an answer to those questions.
Digging deep, this season is a time for spiritual dormancy, to conserve energy and resources for future growth, allowing you to deepen your roots, nurture seeds and anticipate future harvest. This can be done by slowing down, taking time to truly rest. In this season there is a lot going on with holidays but it is important to remember that it is ok to slow down, take time to yourself, sit in silence and think, do small things that bring you joy and meditate. Nature during this time, she rest, she sheds her growth, leaves, everything in order to rest and restore.
Getting uncomfortable, as for most people, this is their least favorite season, we become down and depressed, its cold so there is no motivation. This is an opportunity for us to do things that are hard and sometimes uncomfortable. We should get outside in the cold, get up early and walk outside, shiver and breathe in the coolness to refresh your lungs, watch the sunrise in the cool morning air, go out and look at the moon and stars at night, fully embrace the darkness. The nights and dark are longer this season, signifying a chance to get aligned with that darkness. Looking to nature, the trees, they shed their leaves, an example of letting go. The leaves on the trees, they are beautiful but the tree can't hold onto them because they will take away nutrients the tree needs to survive the cold. This is an example to us, that letting go is essential in this time, it can be uncomfortable to let things, people, habits go but if we are to survive and prepare for new growth, we have to let it go.
Even though this season of darkness can be difficult at times, we can look at it from a better, more spiritual perspective that will help us persevere through these months. Create routines and habits that make it easier and more enjoyable, even when its uncomfortable and cold. Get up early while it's still dark, go outside and breathe in the cool air, watch the sunrise, or stay up a little later, go outside and look at the dark sky, the moon and stars, fully learn to embrace the darkness. Light candles in your home, get warm with heat, blankets or fire to set a cozy atmosphere. When it's dark, whether morning or night, ground yourself, put bare feet on the ground, lay down and watch the sky, align with the cycles of nature.
It can be hard during this season but it can also be freeing and renewing if we make an effort to get in tune with nature. I hope that you all have a wonderful, restorative, insightful dark season and get out in the dark hours and free yourself. With all my love and light.
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