Honor what IS first, before trying to change it.

Let there be light within.

Remembering my year in Sweden, midsommar (summer solstice or the longest day) and Santa (or Sankta) Lucia's Day were my favorite days - the biggest celebrations in the country. Light is venerated here, and I got to appreciate it, even more, after spending one dark cold winter in Stockholm.

The celebration originates from stories that were told by monks who first brought Christianity to Sweden. St. Lucia was a young Christian girl from Syracuse who was martyred in the year 304. A common story about St. Lucia is that she would secretly bring food to the persecuted Christians in Rome, who lived in hiding in the catacombs under the city. She would wear candles on her head so she had both of her hands free to carry things.

December 13th was also the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, in the old Julian Calendar (still used by many Orthodox Christian Churches) and a pre-Christian pagan festival of lights which in Sweden was turned into St. Lucia's Day.

Given such short days in the winter, it is not surprising that Scandinavia makes great efforts to celebrate the light, with processions, candles, and feasting on Santa Lucia’s Day.

Have yourself some gl?gg (sweet mulled wine), lussekatter (St. Lucy saffron buns) and ginger snaps. And sing. Sing! "A new day will rise again, from the rosy sky… Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia!"

The tune to Sankta Lucia comes from an Italian version of the song called “Santa Lucia”. https://youtu.be/Mk0FyZqNp5Q

I'll share some of my reflections, remembering that "The dark and the light, they exist side by side. Sometimes overlapping, one explaining the other. The darkened path is as illuminated as the lightened…” – Raven Davies

We don’t need to fill the darkness with light, or to replace negativity with positivity. We bring the darkness to the light. Like an offering.

By honoring darkness too, we honor what IS first, before trying to change it. Meet yourself where you are at, before moving forward.

Learning this can be so powerful. Bringing light to the places and situations where there is barely any light left. You can give someone love even though they are not acting with love.

I remember situations when I did not push out the darkness, because I could not. I did not have such power. Instead, I brought in the light - even a tiny bit of light that flickered somewhere deep inside of me - and the light pushed out the darkness for me.

You can handle difficult things.

You can light another candle.

As I wrote my chapter "The power of Love" in the multiauthor book "How Women Reclaiming Their Power Are Changing The World", (www.amazon.com.mx/dp/B09L7HWG88) "A candle gains more luminosity by lighting another candle."

Such is the Power of Love.

Practice love, kindness and compassion, and let your light shine.

Amor vincit omnia.

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