As the sun rises later and sets earlier all while moving farther to the south each day, I feel a pull inward and a pull downward. While I love other beings, I also love solitude. And I need that time alone to really be the me that I'm here to be. The longer nights allow me to curl into a book or into dreamland, to shift my journeys from time with others to time with myself which is ultimately time with Spirit. That is my pull inward. My pull downward is the Earth calling me to melt into my surroundings. To fall into the All. While these pulls lead me to the same space, the journey to get there is different and I love them both. With shorter days, it is easy to feel that darkness is taking over. But the night sky is full of tiny spots of light. I think of how far that light is traveling to enter not just my eyes but my whole being, and how we just have the one sun so bright during the day, but so many stars during the night. When I stand staring up, I feel the light that is me reaching out to those pinpricks of light across the night sky. I am not alone for I am not separate. We are all light.

Here's an exercise to try whether you're feeling harried, out of sorts, or want a reminder of your true self. Take five minutes after dark to step outside.

Close your eyes and breathe into your physical body. Feel the edges of your physical body. Notice any and everything in this moment. Feel your feet connected to the earth below you.

Gently open your eyes and scan the skies slowly, noticing the many, many stars. Notice just how much light there is in the darkness. Pick one star, pause, and feel the journey of the light across the universe to reach you.

Close your eyes and feel a spark of light within you, breathe into that light, making it bigger, until it fills your entire being and shines out of you in all directions. Feel the light from the star you picked still pouring into you as you shine your light. Feel that you are the star. You are light. Revel in the light you are.

Gently breathe back into your physical body. Feel your feet connected to the earth below. Feel the air supporting you. Slowly open your eyes and notice what is the same and what is different.

May the light you are shine brightly! Namaste