Advent
Advent marks the beginning of the four weeks leading up to Winter Solstice and Christmas. Going into this darkest time of the year mirrors the spiral for many. We feel tugged by this whirling busyness of the season—and at the same time we are weighed downward by the heaviness that this time of year can bring, facing what feels like increasingly dark and chaotic forces in the world outside. There is a heaviness that so many bear, often alone.
Our task as parents and educators is to help children connect to their inner light and to help remove the barriers that keep them from connecting with others. When I prepared my talk on festivals, I mused on the abundance of processed sugar that is so common to celebrations from Halloween to Valentine’s Day, and thought that it is like we are trying to fill ourselves with the concentrated essence of the sun. The festivals leading into winter teach a common theme: that we as human beings can reach inside to what we have gathered from the summer and share the essence of the sun in our hearts with those around us—and in doing so, help others find their light.
– Gabriel