As much as I love the Fall, the descent into winter with its cold and increased hours of darkness are always hard on me. This year, series of challenges, a bout of illness, and an increased number of uncertainties have made this increasing darkness feel especially oppressive.
While none of it is life shattering in and of itself, the combination of things I’m facing reminds me of earlier seasons of brokenness where I had to start over with little idea of where I was headed. I can feel big changes on the horizon, but I don’t yet know what those changes will look like.
Winter’s increased hours of darkness resonate with this limited view of where I’m headed and how life is shifting. I often feel like I’m stuck and stagnating.
In the midst of these struggles, a post entitled Darkness and Light on ANDŌ’s Silentium substack brought a bit of hope. It reminded me that seeds planted in the earth germinate and grow in the darkness underground long before they break through the surface and reach the light.
About the same time, I serendipitously came across a video of seed germinating and growing roots before it sprouting above ground. I can’t find the original video I watched, but you can see a similar one on YouTube. (After day 25 of growth, it goes back to a close up of the roots growing, which is fascinating to watch.)
It reminded me that even in these periods when I feel stuck and stagnant, there is very often amazing amounts of growth going on beneath the surface that I can’t see. More importantly, it’s growth and development that is necessary to support whatever eventually emerges “above ground” into the light.
This same process is as true of healing as it is of change. It starts underground, beneath the surface in places we can’t see. And yet, that unseen growth is critical to laying the groundwork for the visible, above ground growth and healing that is to come.
It can’t be rushed. It’s hidden and unseen and feels a lot like nothing is happening. Just like the seed sprouting, however, that growth and healing instinctively knows what it is doing and how to reach the light when it’s ready.
Our only job is to keep tending and watering the ground to give the seed what it needs to do its work.
The holiday season is an especially difficult season to be grieving and struggling when we are surrounded by so much cultural pressure to celebrate and be merry.
If you are struggling this holiday season, I offer you this image of the seed sprouting underground as an inspiration to hold onto hope that healing, growth, and forward movement are coming even if you can’t see them unfolding right now. Keep tending the soil of your heart in the ways that appropriate for your situation as you wait for that sprout to emerge.
I wish you hope, comfort, and peaceful inner stillness this season as you wait.
Image created with a stock photo from a Canva subscription package.
Kenetha, .I am Native American, and I’m a pretty traditional person (wife, mother, grandmother, traditional dancer, storyteller, retired nurse). I pray each morning outside; facing east, greeting each of the directions, and thanking them for their gifts. The northern direction (Giiwedinong) îs the place of winter, night, sleep, and Elders. This is a season of rest and repair. It’s the time to gather in a warm place and (traditionally) to repair mocassins, beadwork, and to tell stories. It’s a time to eat substantial, warming foods, to remember the past, and to plan for the spring. The seeds and plants are resting, gathering energy, and preparing for the warm spring winds. It’s a necessary part if the cycle for our bodies and souls to regroup, take stock, and reflect deeply. Our physiology changes as we move through the darker, colder days and the longer nights. If we can embrace this season as a time of rest and reflection, then we are able to see it as a gift. Each of the seasons brings gifts and challenges, and our perspective helps us to honor the gifts. Thank you for the gift of your artwork and the sharing of your thoughts. Jacqueline
Oh, I love this so much, Jacqueline! This view of winter from the Native American tradition is so helpful. Thank you for sharing it!!