How’s your pilot light?
Not the kind in your stove or furnace. I’m talking about the eternal flame, deep in your lower belly.
This proverbial light is an aspect of the Water Element in Chinese medicine, and it relates to your strength and your will to keep trudging through cold, darkness, and uncertainty. It not only gives you the oomph to get out of bed in the morning, but it also helps you feel warmth and love—even in the dead of winter, a pandemic, or any other time of scarcity.
One way to keep your pilot light burning strong is to draw from all the warmth and good feelings you’ve experienced over the year. Pack the memories away like vegetables in a root cellar. I know the harvest for physical and emotional connection was scanty this year, but that makes it even more important to preserve it with care.
Let those reserves nourish you and keep your heart warm until you can harvest again.
Another way to tend to your internal pilot light is to spend some time in the dark. Turn off overhead lights and LCD screens for a while, especially in the evening and early morning. Let the quiet and stillness of the dark replenish you and lull you naturally into a deeper state of rest.
And no, you don’t have to stumble around blindly in the pitch black. Go ahead and light candles or even turn on a lamp, and let them remind you of the light within the dark.
Personally, I love the warm glow of an oil lamp (watch the IGTV episode below to learn why)…
This year has been a doozie for all of us, which is even more reason to call upon the Water Element to build our strength, resilience, and warmth. I know it’s not always easy, but your body and heart know exactly what you need to get through this.
Trust your innate wisdom, even in the dark.