Following last post: I did indeed spend a great deal of time engaging nature, and the hills and forests I call home through the month of December. Back for the New Year (according to the Gregorian Calendar).
Those of you who listen to Wheel of Wonder, or follow the blog and live in America may well be concerned about the results of our last Presidential election. Honestly, some outside of America may be concerned too. The problems that anger Americans in this country full of fiercely independent minded people are addressed well in this YouTube
video and no this is not the new President of the USA, but it is the message that's important and still pertinent, even after the results of our last election.
The dark half of the year is often viewed by Earth spiritualists as the time to honestly look at, and acknowledge our shadow selves. To understand and learn what our self-generated, darker selves really represent. It is advised by those who engage in shadow work that we listen to our darker selves and learn what negative traits we should be aware of , before through our ignorance, they grow into a controlling force that harms our peaceful co-existence. America, behold your shadow!
This process of awakening is not about just the pain and fear we must work our way through and learn from, it is about taking action to keep the shadow self from continuing to control our lives. If we can learn from our darker halves, whether they be consumer, misogynist, colonial, or insensitive, acknowledge their existence, without embracing them as our identities, just another tool for learning who we are, then we can respectfully distance ourselves from these shadow aspects before they overtake our better selves and realities. If we refuse to acknowledge them, their power will grow, until we are consumed by them. Learn from your shadow, but don't let it control you. My advice is that we all consistently put forward our best effort to find our better Angels, to be as good to the Earth and other people as we are capable of being. Many current world leaders seem to be leading us the wrong direction, their views perhaps unduly biased by fear, power envy and greed. these are shadows we must acknowledge, but they don't have become the spirits that define us. We all can think, we all can plan and organize, we don't need our governments to do it for us. What kind of world do you want to experience in the course of your lifetime? What kind of a world do you want to leave for those who remain when you are gone?
Today is the beginning of a new year on many calendars. What kind of year do you want this to be? We are here, now, we are planting the seeds for future beliefs.
I found this winter solstice tree image on a kids
educational site about the solstice.