When day comes, we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid … *
Metaphorically, a solstice rep-
resents a moment of pause or turning point in a cycle, where the balance of light and darkness shifts, signifying a time for reflection, renewal and rebirth.
As a geography teacher, I love to teach about the earth, our “pale blue dot” as Carl Sagan called it, and the relationship between the Earth and the sun. The precise motions and angles create our planet’s magnificent perfection that allows for life. The constant shifting of light — the light that Monet captured in his haystacks — is the same light that has generously brought me life for 73 orbits around the sun.
The purposeful tilt of the axis moves us through the shades of life; as we lean into all the intimate configurations of shadows and light we might learn to stay true to ourselves. As we navigate shadows and sunrise, we might experience the wonder and confusion that allow us to feel our full selves. James Baldwin described this essential process: “One discovers the light in darkness, that is what darkness is for, but everything in our lives depends on how we bear the light.”
But although dark and light in our personal lives are integral to who we are as humans — echoed in the ebb and flow of the tides, and the essential necessity of breathing in and out — we resist the darkness, our shadows, our fallow periods. Yet our natural need for dark stillness may be crucial to moving into light awareness, to taking stock of our lives, to reimagining ourselves and our purpose. Until we are brave enough to sit in darkness, we might never see the proverbial light.
Thich Nhat Hahn said, “Awareness is like the sun: when it shines on things, you are transformed.” Like the physical sun, which lights every leaf and every blade of grass, our awareness lights our every thought and feeling, allowing us to recognize them without judging or evaluating them, welcoming or banishing them.
The perfect celestial symmetry of our physical Earth is a catalyst for awareness, where we become steeped in the humility to feel the power of wonder that it is to be human and to treasure our relationships and relatedness to everyone on this tiny planet. This awareness is our internal north star, a light in our souls that we must keep lit in all seasons, night and day. As we place ourselves in the perfect generous planet, we must seek to shine too.
“The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love — whether we call it friendship or family or romance — is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other’s light. Gentle work. Steadfast work. Life-saving work in those moments when life and shame and sorrow occlude our own light from our view, but there is still a clear-eyed loving person to beam it back. In our best moments, we are that person for another.”
– James Baldwin
This intimate connection between light and awareness is the requisite essence that allows the possibility for our individual lives to thrive and to weave a loving consciousness into the collective tapestry of our human existence. We can be light for each other.
In our weekly classes, high school junior Karen Gonzalez-Machuca sees the power in being able to thrive in these liminal periods between darkness and resilience, as she seeks to foster justice in our world:
“… As Bryan Stevenson said, ‘Our humanity depends on everyone’s humanity.’ If we look past our humanity, we seemingly become meaningless. My family’s struggles have shaped my understanding of resilience and injustice. Each hospital bill and sleepless night deepened my empathy and ignited a drive to fight for a better system. I don’t want others to make impossible choices, lose loved ones due to lack of care, or feel invisible in an inequitable world. Reflecting on this injustice, I think of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail. He wrote, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.’ Injustice, rooted in our systems, affects countless families and communities. Staying silent allows it to grow. If I stayed in self-pity, I’d watch my community continue to be marginalized. Instead, I must act, turning empathy into advocacy to build a more just system for all … I believe that when we empower one person, we begin to transform entire systems.”
To witness what is going on today breaks my heart, and I can not imagine how confusing it is for my students to watch the charade of elected officials claiming compassionate governance, and honest reflection, much less protecting our democratic ideals. Recently a journalist wrote that America has a broken heart and that we must bring the lamp of truth near the seesaw of privilege and oppression, to bring clarity and to make visible our path forward. We too can bring the light. Camus said, “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger — something better — pushing right back.”
This is truly a long, dark winter, but with the inspiration and companionship of Karen Gonzalez-Machuca, Camus, James Baldwin and Amanda Gorman I have hope.
* “When day comes, we step out of the shade, aflame and unafraid.
The new dawn blooms as we free it.
For there is always light,
If only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
– Amanda Gorman