November: Embrace the Darkness
It’s November in New England. Most of us have a preference for warmth and daylight over cold and darkness, which seems…reasonable. November does not meet our preferences.
What we know from yogic philosophy is that happiness is available to us when we meet the present moment with acceptance, even if it doesn’t meet our preferences. Because life rarely accommodates all of our preferences. A simple concept to understand, but not so easy in practice.
So I invite you to embrace the darkness with me.
November is here, bringing the cold and the darkness with it, just like it does every year, and for good reason. The Earth operates on a cycle. We cannot have the bright brilliant summer without this season to rest and renew and regenerate. As beings of the earth, the same is true for us. Humans operate in cycles, we can’t be on at 100% all of the time.
This can be difficult to remember because we’ve built a busy society that goes full tilt 24/7. There’s always something more to do, to accomplish, to consume. We built this city on rock and roll, not rest and renewal.
In November, the Earth sends us a loud message by stripping the trees and cloaking us in darkness. Despite our attempts to ignore or resist, she could not be any more clear. This is the season to ease up, to rest and restore, so that we may regenerate in the spring. Embrace the darkness.
When folks start feeling more tired and less motivated in November, they wonder what is wrong with them. If you feel this desire to succumb to the darkness, to less productivity, to rest: there is nothing wrong with you. There is something very right with you. You are tuned in to the rhythm and the energy of the Earth, and she is in her rest era.
Our reality is such that we still have to participate in society and meet our obligations. Work, family, and activities don’t stop. Our friends and family and communities still need us. Most of us cannot just drop out for the darkest months.
But we can shift our perspective to embrace the darkness and the lesson it brings. Consider any small adjustments you can make: get into bed a little earlier, hand off an obligation, turn down an invitation that feels like too much. Give yourself grace when your To Do list becomes a To Do Later list.
We can honor that tug we feel when all we want to do is put on our pajamas at 4pm but can’t because there’s basketball practice or a class or a party to attend. Getting ourselves out for a walk or to the gym may feel harder, but don’t criticize yourself for feeling lazy, instead acknowledge the pull of the darkness, the call to rest, and whisper to yourself, I know, I know.
And remember that this season is temporary. The wheel is still turning, spring is coming. Know that you have permission to slow down - from the highest authority there is, the Earth herself.