Day 11: Hope
Solstice Journey 2020
Day 11: December 14
Our Solstice Journey unfolds in real time in this most unusual and challenging year. We are traveling through the shortening days and lengthening night to the moment of turning where the light will begin to lengthen again. This week we will explore what this turning means for us.
Last week we brought some physical light into the darkness. Today I invite you to explore the metaphorical light of hope and invite it in. In many parts of the world right now, our lives are constricting as stay at home orders return to keep each other safe in the pandemic. Holiday plans are unraveling again, and there are dire predictions for the impact of the pandemic over the next several weeks. It can all feel bleak.
When things are very heavy, it can be a relief to dwell for a bit in a lighter space. This doesn’t mean we deny reality or our feelings, we just rest for a bit in possibility. This rest in possibility can bring some relief and can begin to shift our perspective.
What feels like the opposite of bleak for you? For me, it is hope and I will give the example of today’s practice using “hope.” You can choose a different word (joy, adventure, love, fun come to mind) if you wish. I invite you to make a date with hope. Set aside some time, at least 10 minutes. Find a comfortable spot with your journal, and a cup of tea if you wish. For your specified time, write about what brings you hope. What brings you hope now? What do you hope for in for 2021? Give yourself permission to just dream about hope. Try not to filter your hopes – just let them flow. Sometimes making a list, rather than carefully crafted prose, can help get the process moving.
When you are finished, notice if anything has shifted for you. Much like our mediation safe space from Day 5, you can return to this hopeful space at any time. It is yours.