How do you respond to darkness?

Today is the New Moon. The time of the month when the moon is aligned in the sky with the sun, thus no reflection of light is bouncing off of it. The sky is dark, the energies are signaling our bodies to lay low, to rest.

In all the cycles we flow through regularly they all have a dark phase.

The dark period of the daytime cycle is nighttime.

The dark phase of the menstrual cycle is the bleed time.

The dark time of the yearly cycle is winter.

And the darkness in the cycle of life is old age and ultimately death.

All of these cycles continue. Night turns to day, the shedding of the menstrual blood is eventually followed by ovulation, the darkness of winter is followed by the new birth in springtime and death in the lifecycle is ultimately followed by new life.

Though, as of late, societally we are shunning the dark phases of these cycles.

We don’t prioritize sleep and say we’ll sleep when we’re dead.

We make the blood of the menstrual cycle shameful, disgusting and embarrassing.

We insist we need to do more during the depths of winter, keep on as if it’s the long days of summer and host holiday parties and gatherings galore.

We shun the aging process in ourselves insisting we need to look younger than we are and shutting our elderly away in homes where there is minimal contact with the younger generations until ultimately their time comes to transition to the next phase.

In ignoring, shunning and shaming the dark we all miss out.

Rest is natural and needed.

Rest allows for new growth.

Rest creates more time and space and energy .. for the doing!

Let us welcome in the darkness in all areas of our life. Because without the darkness, we wouldn’t even notice the light.

Happy New Moon Magic.

May the darkness of the moon be a reminder to honor your body and the wisdom that lies within.