Last night I performed a candle boat ritual in celebration of Mabon. We lit the boats at dusk, in a wheelbarrow filled with water in the back yard. It was so tranquil sitting in the dark gazing at the little flames gliding over the water. They were mesmerizing. A perfect opportunity to reflect on what I have reaped in my life this year, and what I would like to sow for the following year.
One thought that did come to me as I was watching the flames, is that I don't have enough darkness in my life and that I should seek out the dark. I am taking this in a literal sense for now. It is true that it is hard to find darkness in modern life. Our homes are brightly lit from the moment we wake until the moment we switch out the lights to go to sleep. The light allows us to stay busy and distracts us from the sometimes uncomfortable experience of being idle and left alone with our thoughts. To become comfortable with the dark is to become one with the void.
Day and night in perfect balance,
the Wheel turns again, the seasons pass,
and the years give way to the next,
May I never forget, every beginning has an ending
And every ending is a new beginning.
