Trusting the Darkness

“Some things never see the light.
They live in the dark.
We call them roots.”
— Often attributed to Linda Hogan, but origin unverified.

Happy Winter Solstice Beauty,

This year, I began my descent into the darkness early. Since October, I’ve felt myself pulled inward—into quiet, stillness, and the rich, fertile unknown.

I’ve sat down many times to write to you, only to find that the words were not yet ready to be born.

They asked for more silence.
More gestation.
More time to simply be.

My body and soul have been craving this stillness.
The long nights. The sacred hush.

And so, I’ve been dwelling here—with ritual baths, candlelight, ancestral altars, and music that soothes not just my soul, but my nervous system too.

We live in a world that teaches us to fear the dark.
To bypass the descent.

Because the systems we live in—capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy—are built on extraction.

And extraction depends on urgency, chaos, and disconnection.
These systems tell us that rest is laziness. That slowness is dangerous. That our worth is tied to our productivity.

But I know—deep in my bones—that when we skip the pause, the action that follows becomes distorted.
Misaligned.
Inauthentic.

We miss the whispers of our soul.
We miss our intuition.
We miss the gifts that only the darkness can offer.

So today/tonight I invite you to pause.

Resist the pull to plan your next move.
Resist the pressure to set resolutions.

Let the darkness do her work.
Let her show you what’s ready to be released.
What is asking to be healed.
What is longing to be remembered and reclaimed.

There will be a time for blooming, for visioning.
But that time is not now.

Now is the time for sacred pause.
For listening.
For grieving.
For noticing what patterns emerge when we stop moving.

This is the season of deep inner winter.
Of soul composting.
Of gestation.

And it is holy.

Honor the darkness.
Honor the pause.
Honor the truth that nothing in nature blooms all year.

The ancestors are asking us to remember:
Creation doesn't begin in the light.
It begins in the stillness of the dark.

With reverence and love,
Teresa

Descending with the Dark

A Solstice Ritual for Honoring the Pause

You’ll need:

A candle
A journal or notebook
Something comforting (blanket, shawl, warm tea, essential oil)
A quiet space where you won’t be interrupted

Step 1: Prepare a Sacred Space

Dim the lights. Put away your devise. Light your candle and say:

I welcome the dark as sacred.
I enter the darkness not to escape—but to remember.

Wrap yourself in your shawl or blanket. Take a few sips of your tea. Feel yourself settle.

Step 2: Ground into Your Body

Close your eyes. Place one hand on your heart and one on your lower belly. Breathe deeply. Inhale slowly for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 6. Repeat this breath cycle 3–5 times.

As you breathe, silently ask:

What is ready to rest?
What part of me is longing for stillness?

Let your breath be the doorway inward. No rush. No force. Just presence.

Step 3: Write from the Darkness

Open your journal and respond to one or more of these prompts:

The wisdom of the darkness tells me...
I am ready to release...
What is iis gestating in the quiet that I cannot yet see is..

Let your pen move freely—uncensored, unhurried. This is not performance. It’s about intimate communion with your soul.

Step 4: Seal with Intention

Return to your candle. Gaze into the flame. Whisper this prayer or write your own:

“I remember that this darkness is a womb.
May I emerge when it is time. Until then, I listen. I trust. I rest.”

Blow out the candle or let it burn down safely. Close with a gesture of gratitude—hands to heart, bowing your head, or kissing your palms.

Dried plant covered in snow during winter

Let Poetry Remind You:

The Pause is the Portal

Don’t rush the turning.
The wheel will spin again.

For now—
lie low with the roots.
Let your ache exhale.
Let your knowing go nameless.

You are not behind.
You are becoming.

The darkness is not a detour.
It is the doorway.

-this poem was co created with AI as a reflection of the sacred descent into winter

Movement Practice: Descending into your body

As you listen, close your eyes, take a slow breath, with bare feet on the floor and let your body lead. Feel the movement emerge from the inside out.

Let your head, shoulders, and hips move how they want —
Let yourself feel.

Sway. Breath. Reach. Open.

Let your dance be a prayer, not a performance.
This is not for the world. This is for you.

Seasons: Waiting on You By Dani Faye

Coming Next Week…

Next week, I’ll send you a gentle, soul-aligned End-of-Year Reflection.

It won’t be about pushing, forcing, or fixing—but about honoring all that you’ve lived through, released, and reclaimed this year.

For now, stay in the pause.
Let yourself be held by the dark.

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Teresa Bulit Gordon