Water Time
Frost on the wind shield in the morning, geese flocking South, the cold is upon us; Winter is coming. Time to go underground.
“Once again, we find the pattern characteristic of all initiations: planning of the expected journey; the invitation to the unknown; the placing of trust in the situation and in the one who initiates; the loss of the known and the entry into the unknown; the loss of personal identity; the fear of the initiation; facing the fear; active surrender; the epiphany; the restoration of personal identity; the return to the known world, this time with more spiritual understanding and lived knowledge; the long integration of the experience into daily life. These are developmental steps we face if we actively surrender to the call of our soul.” Jill Mellick from Coming Home to Myself
The two main concepts that encapsulate the time of water are darkness and light. We are not interested in the juxtaposition of these two paragons, the overlap is where the intrigue lays. Chinese medical Philosophy focuses on the integration and contradiction of concepts, not so much on the isolation and separation.
Winter time is when the darkness descends upon us and we contract with cold. It is when we celebrate varying festivals concerned with the illumination of light. The light of the soul that burns within each of us. The spark of life that guides us through the darkness.
“It is darkness-with its secrets, earth-ness, and joys, with its pains, losses and despair- that we celebrate.” From a commencement speech given by Ursula LeGuin.
Water, a time to go into the dark. To chose willingly to be changed and to allow for the pain of transformation. To walk the dark and wild terrain. The ambition to survive is strong and even though many of us doubt we will make it..
When I encounter people (in my practice) wrestling with water issues, I recognize the looming fear. We reinforce the container, the dark and light, and we hold….We practice the art of survival; we allow the unallowable and we emerge renewed and cleansed.
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