The Longest Night

Dear Friends,

This Glimmer may seem longer than usual, but that’s only because I’ve included Jan Richardson’s wonderful “Blessing for the Longest Night.”  Jan prefers the form of left side margins for the entire piece, so we acknowledge the longest night with the longest Glimmer. In my Connecticut home, Thursday, December 21st at 10:27pm will be the moment Earth is tilted the farthest away from the sun, leaving us with our shortest day and longest night, until the companion tilt on June 20, 2024.

Back and forth, we ride the celestial rhythm that continues whether we pay attention or not. But what if we pay attention this time? What if we place our intentions on this single night and receive her gifts? Gifts of loosening, of thinning, of light within the darkness, of rest within the calming promise of trust. What if we enter this night, as Jan invites us, as a blessing that nourishes our awareness of our place in the universe, of our value as holy, human beings. We do not enter this night alone, but with one another at our side and all of us held closely by Divine Love, always and forever.

peace to you, Lisa

 

Blessing for the Longest Night

All throughout these months
as the shadows
have lengthened,
this blessing has been
gathering itself,
making ready,
preparing for
this night.

It has practiced
walking in the dark,
traveling with
its eyes closed,
feeling its way
by memory
by touch
by the pull of the moon
even as it wanes.

So believe me
when I tell you
this blessing will
reach you
even if you
have not light enough
to read it;
it will find you
even though you cannot
see it coming.

You will know
the moment of its
arriving
by your release
of the breath
you have held
so long;
a loosening
of the clenching
in your hands,
of the clutch
around your heart;
a thinning
of the darkness
that had drawn itself
around you.

This blessing
does not mean
to take the night away
but it knows
its hidden roads,
knows the resting spots
along the path,
knows what it means
to travel
in the company
of a friend.

So when
this blessing comes,
take its hand.
Get up.
Set out on the road
you cannot see.

This is the night
when you can trust
that any direction
you go,
you will be walking
toward the dawn.