Monday 21 December 2015

For Today - Winter Solstice, Yule

Exuberance is beauty -- William Blake

It is just after 8 o'clock and the morning light is reluctantly graying brighter, silvery wet and cold. 

Today is the tipping point in the year when the light stops short and rests -- the shortest day of the year, winter solstice.  After tonight, the light starts growing again.  Slowly at first, a minute a day for the next 17 days.  Then two minutes a day, one at dawn, one at sunset starting January 7th, the 12th day after Christmas.

This morning's quote is interesting in For Today, it reminds us that express joy, even exuberance, in our lives, like a child does.  Enjoy what is beautiful.

At the same time, William Blake (English, 1757-1827) is a conundrum for me.  Imagine my surprise when I see "Exuberance is beauty" is one of his Proverbs of Hell, from the poem "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell".  Much of it appears to be a stream of consciousness piece and beyond me at this early hour and generally.  There are those who spent their life times studying Blake.  But the portions that leap out at me (exuberantly?!) are these:
In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
The roaring of lions, the howling of wolves, the raging of the stormy sea, and the destructive sword, are portions of eternity too great for the eye of man.  The fox condemns the trap, not himself.  ... 
The crow wish'd everything was black, the owl, that every thing was white.  ...  Enough!  or Too much!
Sometimes it is good to stop thinking, analyzing, strategizing and simply be.  Solstice means the sun stands still.  And so do I in this moment.  Appreciate beauty for what it is.  Radical acceptance.  That makes me happier than before.  And that is enough.

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