Low sun and long shadows

It stayed with me the last days, the subject of light and shadow.

It occurred to me a week ago. It was midday. The sun was shining, but low in the sky.
This gave the big oak in my garden a huge shadow on the fresh snow.

When the light is low, the shadows are long.

Midwinter is a time that shows us our shadows. Shadows show you who you are on this earth. Your bare form, reflected on the white earth, as an almost too clear mirror. No leaves, no flowers. When the sun is low, there is space for reflection. It can be hard to see our dark side; old patterns of impatience, old habits of feeling lonely.

But actually it is a gift. By seeing it we have the space to let go. Because we can only let go of things that are visible.

Yesterday we celebrated midwinter in my house. We built a snow igloo. And in the igloo a fire. The igloo reflected the orange fire. We were standing in an orange circle amidst of snow that made the shortest night light. We through in the fire a Branch of holly (the tree of letting go) and of oak ( the tree of building up) and a note with a word that we wanted to let go. Our shadow was eaten fast by the fire.

By seeing you shadow, you can let go. You can see you are not only this shadow. By burning it we became our own light, shining from within.

From the flower that I planted after burning my shadow Impatience, already grows some Patience. Patience with the sun rising within.