A Stillness Descends

Let this be the season of light and hope

And lo, a stillness descended on the world as the darkness began to give way. We gathered and touched.

There was a letting go, a breathing out. We looked at things, and each other, differently. We thought more of one another. We gave a little more of ourselves.

Time slowed and mystery deepened. The mystery of hope and what may be yet to come. None of us knew what it might be, just that it could happen and the darkness diminish even more. Hope filled us like air, made us buoyant. There was a quickening, despite the cold all around us.

The world we left was lost. We were pulled by something. We knew not what. A force, a promise. Behind us were cities torn by blood and lust and fear. Vast castles of marble and silk housed those out of reach, unoffended by gross odors, where life was a calculus of riches lost and gained. The air was brittle and harsh, the ground riven by drought and tears.

This was the land we left, following a small, flickering light in the dark sky.

We were alone, between here and there. We were only dimly aware of some purpose. And yet it was there, like a bluebird hiding in the tallest reach of a tree. Expecting to fly.

The order of things had been rearranged. We were nowhere yet felt as if we were approaching the center of the world.

We talked of these things, tried to make sense of who we were and what lay ahead. The light. The quickening. The mystery. Each of us bearing a gift, we knew not for what reason. We listened to each other and the small insistent voice inside us.

Memories overwhelmed us at times. The things we had left behind. We shared them and they became lighter as we moved deeper into the present moment.

There is always a time when things change, when the world reorders itself. We talked of this each night as we shivered around a dwindling fire. We kept on.

Who were we? And for what purpose? In the old world, we thought we knew. In this world, we knew only one thing — the light pulled us forward and we felt a new purpose. Words began to form, but could not be said. Our tongues were incapable of expressing what was in our hearts.

We were patient.

Time passed.

The night sky seemed to expand, held up by great vortexes of stars, swirling, pulsing trails of light forming and reforming in infinite fractals of silver and white. The heavens spoke to us each night and dimly we heard the words. They spoke of light, a new beginning, a transformation. There was another quickening. We pressed on.

And now, even before we arrived, we knew where we were going. It was a small place, but filled with boundless energy. As we entered, the stars grew brighter. A single star stood out, light emanating in thick white rays, touching the child and then the three of us in turn. The light spoke to us with silent, certain, urgent words.

You are here, said the light. You are never anywhere but here. This child is the light of the world. If you follow this light the world will begin anew. Relinquish your gifts. Relinquish your fear. Open your hearts in this new firmament of connection and compassion. The light is the gift of ekstasis and you will never be alone. The light is the tree and the fruit. You are here now and you will always be here, no matter where you might go.

The stillness became deeper. The light became brighter. Our questions were answered. We knew now we would return to do the work of the world, but we felt more certain, bigger, brighter and stronger. We kneeled and let our hearts expand into the vortex of the sky. We saw the words, heard the light, and trembled in the power of this new beginning.