Do not be afraid of the darkness.
Dark is the rich fertile earth
that cradles the seed, nourishing growth.
Dark is the soft night that cradles us to rest.
Only in darkness
can stars shine across the vastness of space.
Only in darkness
is the moon’s dance so clear.
There is mystery woven in the dark quiet hours.
There is magic in the darkness.

Do not be afraid.
We are born of this magic.
It fills our dreams
that root, unravel and reweave themselves
in the shelter of the deep dark night.
The dark has its own hue,
its own resonance, its own breath.
It fills our soul,
not with despair, but with promise.
Dark is the gestation of our deep and knowing self.
Dark is the cave where we rest and renew our soul.
We are born of the darkness,
and each night we return
to the deep moist womb of our beginnings…
***
—  Stephanie Noble
from her poem “In Celebration of the Winter Solstice”

Stephanie Noble is the author of Asking In: Six Empowering Questions Only You Can Answer, 2020. She has been teaching insight meditation since 2004, and sharing her dharma posts since 2007. She serves as a board member of the Buddhist Insight Network.