Today Is the Longest Night of the Year — and That Matters More Than You Think
Dear friend,
Today is the Winter Solstice — the longest night of the year and the shortest day.
No matter what calendar you follow. No matter what faith tradition you come from. No matter whether you’ve ever paid attention to seasonal time at all.
Today, something ancient and unmistakable happens.
The earth reaches its deepest point of darkness — and from here, the light begins its return.
This isn’t symbolic. It’s physical. It’s real.
We are taught to chase light relentlessly — more clarity, more certainty, more answers, more optimism. We’re taught to fix, resolve, pivot, transcend, and move on as quickly as possible.
But nature does something very different today.
Nature descends.
Into darkness. Into stillness. Into what has been avoided, unnamed, or quietly carried. This is the real threshold.
Winter Solstice doesn’t ask you to eradicate the darkness in your life. It asks you to name it.
And that distinction matters more than we tend to realize.
Because what we don’t name doesn’t disappear.
It follows us — through our habits, our relationships, our defenses, our exhaustion.
It shows up in the places we feel stuck, reactive, or resigned. It shows up when we want someone else to change because we don’t know how to change ourselves.
The darkness within us does not need to be defeated. It needs to be faced.
The moment we begin naming what has been holding us captive — the grief, the fear, the avoidance, the resentment, the hunger we keep outrunning — something begins to loosen.
Not all at once. Not dramatically. But enough.
This is how light actually enters.
Not by bypassing what’s hard. Not by focusing endlessly on the darkness out there as a way of avoiding the darkness in here. Not by pretending the world isn’t heavy.
This is where the work becomes intimate.
Notice where you feel powerless. Notice where you keep saying, “It’s just how it is.” Notice where you brace, numb, or rush past your own knowing.
These aren’t personal failures, friend. They are invitations.
Life moves in cycles, not straight lines. Descent is not regression. Naming is not weakness.
Facing what we’ve avoided is how transformation actually begins.
If you want the coming year to be different — not performatively, but truly — today is the day to begin.
Not by fixing yourself. But by listening.
What darkness in your life is asking to be named? What truth have you been circling but not touching? What pattern has quietly shaped your days and relationships more than you’d like to admit?
And alongside that:
What light do you want to build the capacity to hold? Not what you want to achieve — but what you want to be able to receive.
Clarity.
Rest.
Truth.
Agency.
Intimacy.
Courage.
The light is returning. It always does.
But it arrives most fully when we make room for it — when we stop running from what we’re being asked to face.
This is not about abandoning the world.
It’s about changing how you meet it.
This is how lives actually change. This is how leadership deepens. This is how relationships evolve. This is how the world shifts — not all at once, but from the inside out.
Today, let the darkness teach you something. From this longest night, the light begins its return.
With you at this threshold,
Practice Postscript
Where the letter stops being read and starts being lived
This is not a performative practice. It’s a quiet listening.
Step One — Settle
Find a few minutes where you won’t be interrupted. I know — it might be difficult but try. Even if it’s in your car.
Let your body arrive before your mind does.
Feel your feet. Your breath. Your weight.
Step Two — Name (Gently)
Ask yourself — without forcing an answer:
What darkness in me has been asking to be named?
This isn’t about shame or self-critique. It might be grief, fear, exhaustion, avoidance, or a pattern you keep circling. Name it simply. Honestly. Without explanation.
Step Three — Notice
What shifts when you name it? Even slightly.
Does your breath change? Does something soften?
Does the grip loosen just a bit? That’s the work.
Step Four — Invite
Now ask: What light do I want to build the capacity to hold this year?
Not what you want to accomplish — but what you want to be able to hold in your body and your life.
Let your body answer. That is enough for today.
An Invitation into the New Year
If something in this letter stirred recognition — not urgency, not pressure, but a quiet yes — trust that.
The coming year does not have to be shaped by reaction, exhaustion, or bracing against the world.
You are allowed to build the capacity to meet your life differently — resourced, grounded, and deeply aligned with who you are.
The Illumination Series (Clarity Kickstart) is a four session, one-to-one intuitive coaching container designed to help you begin the year rooted in your truth rather than pulled by external noise.
This is not a program. Not a five-step strategic plan. Not a push to optimize yourself. It is real, relational work — walking together as you:
name what has been holding you back
clarify what you are ready to claim
resource your nervous system and leadership presence
align your gifts with how you want to live and lead in the year ahead
This work often qualifies as professional development for leaders, creatives, and entrepreneurs. If you are ready to stop reacting and start choosing how you meet your life:
Apply for the Illumination Series (Clarity Kickstart) below.
Four 90 min. sessions. Deep support. A different way forward.
