spiritual artwork kalachakra matrix plant nature plants with Buddhist symbol orange yellow green

Kalachakra Matrix, monotype with mixed media

DECEMBER, 2020

“And the seasons, they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return, we can only look
Behind, from where we came
And go round and round and round, in the circle game”

Joni Mitchell, The Circle Game

Winter Solstice

Winter solstice, as you probably know, is the day when one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun. In the northern hemisphere, this occurs in December. It is the day with the shortest period of daylight and longest night of the year.

Winter Solstice has been, for me, an important marker in time. For some people, it’s the calendar new year, January first. But I think the concept and the general appeal of these time markers are the same: They give us the psychological and spiritual opportunity to start over.

“Since prehistory, the winter solstice has been seen as a significant time of year in many cultures, and has been marked by festivals and rituals. It marked the symbolic death and rebirth of the Sun. The seasonal significance of the winter solstice is in the reversal of the gradual lengthening of nights and shortening of days.” (Wikipedia)

Out of the Darkness

You might be wondering how this particular day holds any real significance in these modern times. We’re no longer an agrarian culture, so the cosmological cycles aren’t celebrated by many of us. But the psychological implications of the Sun’s rebirth seem more relevant this year than ever.

new monotype collages transformation 51 sharmon davidson

Transformation 51, monotype with mixed media

That’s because it has been, for most of us, a very dark time. And we are now, coincident with the solstice, just beginning to come out of the darkness. Finally, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. It may be far away, and very tiny, but we can see it at long last. And that’s exactly what we need right now.

beginning again winter solstice photo sharmon davidson

A Solstice Poem

Even now,

in the sterile age of technology,

beneath the banging, crashing, clashing street noise,

the deafening roar of airplanes,

beneath the sounds of shrieking missiles, exploding bombs,

beneath the humming and ticking of artificial intelligence

(or none at all),

beneath the ceaseless rushing, pushing, struggling…

Still,

the quiet heartbeat of the earth,

turning in her silent cycles,

as she whirls around the sun,

the ancient dervish dance

of sun, moon, and planets,

ceaseless motion unchanging,

drawing a spiral pattern across space and time...

as it began,

so it remains.

and now

she retraces the infinite pattern,

reaches

the apex of her wandering arc,

and turns her face once again

to the brilliance,

toward the one,

the light.

as it was in the beginning,

as it ever shall be,

so it remains.

Transformation 35, monotype with mixed media

begin again transformation 32 sharmon davidson

Transformation 32, monotype with mixed media

Begin Again

And so, at this special marker in time, I’ll try to throw away the despair, disorganization, and darkness, and focus on that tiny light. I’ll try to move forward, to begin again. I hope you can, too.

This year, there is a rare alignment of Jupiter and Saturn, resulting in what some are calling a “Christmas star.” My dear friends, I wish you a blessed solstice, and all the best for the coming year!

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4 Comments

Laura on December 22, 2020 at 2:35 am

What a lovely topic.
New Year, new opportunities, new Hopes!
Xoxo❤️Laura
Reply
- Sharmon Davidson on December 22, 2020 at 4:27 pm
  
  Laura, thanks so much for visiting! I hope the new year brings you many good things; you deserve it! xox
  Reply
T Hoover on December 27, 2020 at 3:38 am

Blessings to you Sharmon- may it be so. Thanks for always sharing your creativity and your insights, xoxo Teri Hoover
Reply
- Sharmon Davidson on December 27, 2020 at 11:22 pm
  
  Teri, it’s so nice to hear from you! Thank you for the kind words! I’m wishing you all the best for the coming year, and hope you’ll stay in touch! xox
  Reply