Meditation: May 10, 2025

"The ancient ones knew that wisdom comes not from choosing between dark and light, but from dancing at the edges where shadows and illumination meet, for it is there that the deepest mysteries reveal themselves to the attentive heart."

Physical Setting & Preparation

Find a place where you can observe the interplay of light and shadow—beneath a tree canopy, near a window where sunlight streams in, or beside a candle or fire. Bring a white stone or shell to represent light and a dark stone or piece of bark to represent shadow. Sit comfortably with a straight spine, allowing your shoulders to soften and your breathing to find its natural rhythm. Remove any restrictive clothing and place both feet firmly on the ground. Before beginning, rub your palms together briskly until you feel heat, then place them over your eyes for three deep breaths, allowing the warmth to soften your gaze.

Opening Invocation | Fosgladh

Air an deicheamh là den Chèitean,
Nuair a tha solas is dubhar a' dannsadh,
Tha mi a' gairm air cumhachdan an dà shaoghal,
An saoghal faicsinneach is an saoghal dìomhair.
Tha mi a' fosgladh mo thuigse don ghliocas,
A tha a' fuireach eadar an dà thìr.

On this tenth day of May,
When light and shadow are dancing,
I call upon the powers of the two worlds,
The visible world and the hidden world.
I open my understanding to the wisdom,
That dwells between the two lands.

Body of the Working | Corp

Feel the quality of early May surrounding you—the strengthening light balanced by lingering coolness, the rapid growth tempered by the patience of older rhythms. This is a season of beautiful contradictions, where opposites meet and intertwine in the dance of becoming.

Tha solas a' fàs làidir,
Ach tha dubhar fhathast a' bruidhinn.
Tha an samhradh a' tighinn,
Ach tha cuimhne an earraich fhathast ann.

The light grows strong,
But shadow still speaks.
Summer is coming,
But the memory of spring still remains.

In this moment of balance, allow yourself to recognize a feeling of joy arising within you. Like sunlight breaking through clouds, there is a natural delight in experiencing life's expansiveness and possibility. Place your hands over your heart and feel this lightness—not forced or manufactured, but spontaneously emerging from your connection with life's abundance.

Yet within this joy, notice also a sense of reverence pervading your awareness. Like standing before an ancient mountain or beside a deep forest pool, there is a quiet awe at the mystery that underlies all existence. Lower your hands now, palms upward on your lap, in a gesture of receptivity. This too is an essential aspect of wholeness—the recognition of depth and dimension beyond our full comprehension.

Tha aoibhneas a' dannsadh 'nam chridhe,
Mar a dhannsas solas air uisge.
Tha urram a' laighe air m' anam,
Mar a laigheas dubhar air talamh.

Joy dances in my heart,
As light dances on water.
Reverence rests on my soul,
As shadow rests on earth.

The Deep Working | An Obair Dhomhain

Now, take the white stone or shell in your right hand and the dark stone or bark in your left. Hold them before you, noticing their different qualities—one reflecting light, one absorbing it; one revealing its nature fully, one holding mystery within.

Your joy is not separate from the earth's own celebration in this season. Every blossoming tree, every singing bird, every unfurling leaf expresses this same delight in being alive. Feel this collective jubilation in your body, this shared participation in the miracle of existence.

An t-aoibhneas a tha mi a' faireachdainn,
Chan e mo chuid fhìn a-mhàin a th' ann.
Is e guth na talmhainn a' seinn,
Tron a h-uile creutair beò.

The joy I feel,
Is not mine alone.
It is the voice of the earth singing,
Through every living creature.

Your reverence, too, mirrors the earth's deep mystery. Beneath the visible expressions of spring lies the unknowable source from which all life emerges. The Mother of the Earth holds both the manifest and unmanifest, both revelation and enigma. This is the healing wisdom of wholeness—embracing both the light of knowing and the shadow of mystery.

Now bring your hands together, allowing the white stone and dark stone to touch. Feel how they complement each other, how together they create a more complete experience than either alone could provide.

An t-urram a tha mi a' faireachdainn,
Is e mo cheangal ris an dìomhaireachd.
Mar a tha dubhar a' neartachadh solais,
Tha misteiridh a' doimhneachadh eòlais.

The reverence I feel,
Is my connection to the mystery.
As shadow strengthens light,
Mystery deepens knowledge.

Feel both joy and reverence alive within you, not as opposing forces but as complementary aspects of a full relationship with life. Like day and night, they create a complete cycle of experience. The Mother Earth embodies this wisdom in every transition between darkness and light—dawn, dusk, the phases of the moon, the turning of seasons—where different qualities of consciousness meet and interpenetrate.

Afterthought | Smuain Dheiridh

Take a moment to contemplate:

How might your joy be deepened by reverence rather than diminished by it? How might your reverence be enlivened by joy rather than made heavy by it?

Closing Blessing | Beannachd Dheiridh

Gu robh solas an aoibhneis a' deàrrsadh ort,
Gu robh dubhar an urraim gad dhìon,
Gu robh gliocas nan eadar-shoillsean gad threòrachadh,
Gu robh slàinte na h-iomlanachd gad leigheas,
A-nis agus gu bràth.

May the light of joy shine upon you,
May the shadow of reverence protect you,
May the wisdom of the in-between places guide you,
May the health of wholeness heal you,
Now and forever.

Before you leave this place, place both stones on the earth before you, arranging them so they touch, embodying the meeting of different qualities in harmony. Carry with you the understanding that joy and reverence are not opposed but allied—together creating a depth of experience that honors both the brightness and the mystery of being alive.