Envisioninga New World
by Dana Lynne Andersen MA
Awakeningarts.com
In the heart of the longest night, we know the light is born.
Whether Christmas, Chanuka or Kwaanza, we are called to the light. Not of reason nor of sense does the light burn through the night, but as a miracle of hope. At the darkest time of the year; when the day is shortest, and the night the longest, a seed of light is planted. Against the testimony of the senses, which still see only darkness, the light increases.
Since ancient times humans have celebrated the winter solstice, our Earth’s own Holy Day, in festivals honoring the hope of light and life returning. Ancient systems of knowledge were universally orientated to celestial events, particularly the solstices and equinoxes that mark the seasons of life on earth. Honoring of these cardinal points is found throughout the world in sites as diverse as Stonehenge in the British Isles, the Big Horn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming, USA, the Caracol Tower of Mexico, and the Pyramids of Egypt. Solstices happen twice each year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is most inclined toward (summer) or away (winter) from the Sun. The name is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstice the Sun appears to stands still in its path before reversing direction. Of course as we view this time from a global perspective, it is obvious that the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere are opposites, so that the summer solstice of one hemisphere is the winter solstice of the other.
In the Occident, the solstices and equinoxes mark the beginning of the seasons, such that summer solstice is the first day of summer. In East Asian Cultures, they mark the middle of the seasons. This reflects the understanding that the Chi, or energy, in the movement from yin to yang crests at the midpoint. Hence the Chinese character for solstice means "extreme", signifying the zenith of the energies of summer and winter. A similar sense of flowing between seemingly contrary forces (as symbolized by Yin and Yang) is expressed in the traditions of the British Isles, where the Oak King- who rules the waxing year, reigns from Winter Solstice to Summer Solstice when he abdicates to the Holly King who rules the waning year. Thus, in traditions of both East and West, we acknowledge that in the realm of duality opposites give rise to each other in turn. We experience this mystery every year when the longest day marks the beginning of the light's incremental waning toward winter's darkness, and again at winter solstice when the darkest night heralds the return of the light.
The Earth's Holy Days are common to all who share life on this precious blue planet. Perhaps as we share together in these universal holidays~ the Holy Days of Solstice and Equinox ~ we can create a greater resonance of gratitude for life. So simple, and yet this attitude of humble appreciation is what re-calibrates us to 'right relation' with life and with each other. According to many pioneering scientists who study consciousness, the emotion of gratitude is profoundly healing to living creatures, and even to the elements themselves. Dr. Masaru Emoto in "The Messages from Water" demonstrated in images of microscopic water samples how water is sensitive to human emotion. Positive emotional messages strengthen the elaborately beautiful crystalline structure of water, while negative messages deteriorate the pattern. Similarly, studies show that the images we hold of the future affect the future- this is true both individually and collectively. As we approach 2012 there are myriad visions of apocalyptic end times that saturate the collective psyche with images of disaster. When we understand that images shape the reality that will unfold, we see how imperative it is to envision in the direction of the future we want to live. What we imagine sets the parameters of possibility. Positive images inspire positive energy, expectation and action. When we hold strong, clear images of positive futures, we can shift the potentiality from 'possibility' to 'probability'. We have the power to make positive futures probable futures.
This year we are entering a new era on earth. We have evolved from an Industrial Age to the Information Age, and now we are catapulting toward a new Age, not yet defined. Amidst the tumult of catastrophies and prophecies, it seems increasingly clear that this is not merely a transition of historical eras, but rather a seismic shift in the epochs of humanity. Is this the dawning 'Age of Aquarius', initiated by the movement of outer planets- or is it the dawn of 'Dwapara Yuga', the ascending age in a vast cycle of time divined by Rishi's of ancient India? While there are many different ways of demarcating the cycles of life on earth and the eras of human history, they converge in their essence; we are in the midst of a fundamental shift from an age of form to an age of energy. We are entering a Quantum era, evolving from a vision of the world as a machine to an understanding of a living cosmos, exchanging building blocks for fields and foam. If we stand back we can see that changes occurring across diverse fields are the rippling edges of one wave moving across the landscape of a new millennium. A new Zeitgeist is emerging. A holistic vision of reality is developing in many different disciplines simultaneously- in physics, biology, psychology and medicine, in economics and business, art and religion. Emerging models see an underlying wholeness, and these will pattern our world in entirely new ways.
This year we enter 2012- the most anticipated and talked about year in our lifetimes. At this critical juncture we are called to envision new ways of being. We can make positive futures probable by harnessing the power of images to seed the 'storyfield' of our culture. We can do this when we access the immense power of creativity, imagination and intuition. The arts awaken and cultivate these capacities. They have been relegated to 'icing on the cake' - an afterthought of decorative embellishment, but they are the true staples in an era of radical change. The images we hold of the future have a prevailing role in determining the path humanity will tread. With movies like 2012, and the burgeoning of content around various dark prophesies, it is a critical time to work directly with the images that are generating our future. When we understand the power of imagery, working with the arts becomes serious business. Symbolic and visual modalities resonate on both deeper and higher strata of the psyche, from archaic and subconscious levels to higher levels of vision-logic. Through our own creative work we reach into the heights and depths of ourselves in ways that words cannot. We can also engage the power of art & image, story & vision to reach more directly into the heart and soul of humanity. More than ever before we must actively cultivate our imaginative intelligence, our intuition and our creative genius to pioneer innovative ways of living.
“To the common eye, Noah looked particularly foolish. Yet he would have been foolish in a worse way had he refused the inner project...Who can explain this to those whose eyes have not yet opened to their own inward seas? Only those convinced by their own dreams can see the hidden designs behind the troubles of the world.” Michael MeadeJust as the return of the light begins in the darkest night, so we must plant the seeds of hope and possibility even in the midst of darkness and despair. Even as the familiar world seems to disintegrate around us, we must penetrate our gaze to the deeper unity beneath the surface. As we move from the hope of Winter Solstice to the promise of the New Year let us commit to the transformation of our vision. The New Year is a magic time of clean slates and shimmering potentials. Around the world people are imagining new possibilities for themselves - creating a momentum toward positive new realities. We can add energy to the magnetism of this collective aspiration.
Take time to envision expanded possibilities for your life. In the silence of your soul, attune to the new energies that are emerging in your life. It’s time to dream BIG - for yourself and for the world. On this momentous New Year find the synergy between what the world needs and what you are here to give. A new era is emerging, through the hearts and minds of each one of us. We are called to open ourselves wider, to stretch further, to imagine more boldly. May 2012 be the turning point, the year we seeded the vision of a new world.
Start the New Year with an expanded vision and a sharpened focus of intention... for yourself and for the world! Join our YEAR’S VISIONING RETREAT at the Institute of Noetic Sciences: see this page.
Links to astronomy diagrams of Solstice: see this page and this page.
Contact Dana Lynne Andersen MA by email or see her website at awakeningarts.com.
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