Waiting With Courage

I had an experience this week where my friend called me in the middle of a crisis. Like a real crisis; one where there’s no right thing to say but presence makes all the difference. So I went to be with my friend and we waited for two hours in the middle of - what they call in France - a metric fuck ton of unknowns. Now, nothing makes way for fear like big unknowns.

Maybe you’ve lived through something like this yourself. The unknown of biopsy results. The unknown of how surgery is going. The unknown of not hearing from a family member that they got where they were going safely. The unknown of how long or how far that forest fire is going to burn and knowing your loved ones are in its path. The unknown of having messed up at work and they’re deciding if you can keep your job. You know, the big ones.

So we were there in the middle of that using all of our shamanic tools, practices, prayers, and reaching out for support just to keep the fear at bay. My friend asked me what they needed to be doing - if there was anything they could do at that moment - to help the situation. I took a look psychically and just saw this beautiful image of my friend sitting on a humble throne and looking forward. To me this read as being in one’s seat of power and waiting with courage for whatever may come.

We’re both still waiting with courage, for more is certainly to come, and of course I’m also busy making the Advent calendars for my winter course. So these two things have merged together and the deep energy of waiting with courage is infusing everything I make right now.

As with all spiritual paths, it’s in good shamanic timing and so I decided to go ahead and make a calendar for myself this year. What was previously a fun project that I loved offering last year and wanted to do again has become a very real practice this year that I’ll be doing right along with you.

The wheel of the Christian and Pagan year always line things up for us like this. The darkness gets darker and it’s up to us to find the courage to keep our seat in the face of the unknown, which darkness - literal and metaphorical - can certainly be. But Advent also calls us to be a light in that darkness, to stay in our seats of power, to call in Great Spirit (and yes I always call in Great Jesus too) for support and to clear the path of obstacles. Advent calls us to wait and prepare for the blessing that will be bigger than anything we could have imagined.

So if you’ve purchased an Advent calendar or are thinking of it, you’ll find a additional candle in each one that I decided to add. I’ll put one in mine too and if you’d be willing to light this candle for me and my friend and I’ll light mine for you; whatever your unknowns may be.

Let these winter candles that are being mailed in a few weeks all across the country help us wait with great courage and great power for whatever miracles Mystery has in store.

Many blessings, light keepers.

PS. Photo above taken by Laurie R. Thanks dear friend.