Surrender yourself with the dance of light and dark: Light a candle

As we are approaching the longest nights and shortest days of the year we  notice how the lack of light is influencing the way we feel. Many of us suffer from a touch of the blues during the winter months: too little daylight drags us down, making us feel depressed and tired. Do you feel tired these days?

Every winter I think about my grandparents and their grandparents, how different their life was. They lived more with the rhythm of nature. As there was no electricity they went to bed with the sunset and got up at sunrise; working, socializing and playing during the hours of sunlight. They had a lot of time for sleeping! 🙂

How different it is for us now? Thanks to electricity we can stretch our days. We often work during the day and socialize and play in the evening. In the late evenings we read, watch TV and follow social media etc. We cut down on our sleep, we go to bed late and instead of recharging during the “dark” months, we keep our agendas constantly full. Almost every day I hear from my students that they are tired. I am not surprised to hear that, as we cut down on our sleep. We are getting too much artificial light at night and not enough bright light during our day, and the production of melatonin is disturbed, so we are not able to recharge – and yes, we feel tired.

Practice of the month:

To recharge during these short grey days, or to have a better night’s sleep, or to boost the benefits of melatonin as an anti-aging hormone and detoxifying hormone, it is important to get enough sunlight during the day and enough darkness at night. To let you balance the light with darkness these months I advise you to sleep and rest more, to sit in sunlight every day (that means outside in daylight if it’s not a very bright day!) and to practice this sacred candle-lighting ritual:

 

Sacred candle ritual:

Lighting a candle for a particular purpose or intention is practiced worldwide by people of all walks of life, various spiritual leanings, and a diverse array of religions. Lighting a candle symbolizes bringing light and energy to our wishes or desires. A candle can be lit as a prayer for peace or a request for healing. Lit candles are reflections of our emotional self and help to illuminate our hearts when we feel burdened. You are invited to reflect on whatever is resonating within you at this moment.

Try lighting your candles with a particular meaning:  affirmation candle, prayer candle, blessing candle or gratitude candle.

– affirmation candle –  Light your affirmation candle. Sit in silence for a few moments. Release any thoughts of negativity lingering in your mind. Allow only positive thoughts to live there. Close your eyes and see a world filled with only happiness and prosperity. If you have a particular affirmation, recite it within and feel the reality of it. Our favorite affirmation for winter: ‘I am clear, I am strong, I am open, I move forward.’

– prayer candle – You may light a prayer candle for yourself, another person, or for a situation. Bow your head in quiet solitude. Direct your prayer to God, Allah, the Angels, the Universe, your Higher Self, or to whatever Source from which you draw your spiritual strength. Clearly and humbly ask for what is needed and desired.

– blessing candle – When you  light a blessing candle you recognize that there are blessings in everything – even in those times of the  most difficult life challenges. Are you blessed by good food, good friendship, good health today? Share that energy. Offer your blessing and release it to the universe.

– gratitude candle – Light a candle to symbolize your gratitude. Joyfully count everything and everyone that you are grateful for.

Our studio will be full of candlelight and the smell of essential oils this month. With our workshops, we want to  help you to relax and complete the year’s cycle in a relaxed atmosphere of self-care. We have prepared a few surprises for you, as well as a few very nice events. Come and experience the healing atmosphere of our studio in the coming month.

Have a wonderful December filled with the dance of light and darkness 🙂

With love

Katri