Hope in the Dark

The dark at this time of year in the northern hemisphere sets in early and sets in thick. Before us now are twenty-one days of deeper and longer dark before the solstice on December 21st when, here, the days begin to be lighter for longer. In the southern hemisphere, this is the brightest time of year when the daylight is longest... but here in the north, we forget this.

The kind of hope that is needed by us humans at this time in our history, is cultivated in these dark times: Opening to the dark takes patience, which actually grows us. Acknowledging and holding the humility that there is so much we know we don't see or know -- this positions us more accurately to wade in. Adjusting our eyes to the dark and keeping our eyes open to what is -- both inside and out -- this helps us see patterns and doorways. This is a time to light a candle and allow the quiet. In the waiting... radical hope grows. And radical hope is what is needed.

TS Elliot says in his long poem entitled East Coker:

I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope
For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love,
For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith
But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting.
Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought:
So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.

Coaches -- join me in accelerating Hope beyond Hope. To find out more, contact me. Or, join a two-hour webinar -- the next one is on January 22.

To dive deeper, the five-session Coach Embodiment series is a group of up to 12 coaches who are supporting one another in growing hope in themselves and in the leaders they work with. The next one begins January 29. Register before December 25 for an earlybird discount.