Standing before the mouth of a cave, I can feel my body awaken. There is an intermingling of known and unknown that stirs the primal force within me. It calls out, asking me to step forward onto a path that has not been traveled by many. To decide to take the slow and steady decent is a decision that only I can make. Once the decision is made, I must trust each footstep upon the path that leads me to our collective primordial birthplace. The demand to expand my boundaries, trust the process, and shed any expectation I may have is absolute. For the choice to descend is not something to be taken lightly. There cannot be life, death, and rebirth without consequence or danger. The journey into the depths of the earth, is to traverse the depths of the soul. Here, one chooses to enter a place beyond place, a time beyond time, and to let go of the human understanding of what we think we know. It is the choice of the Pilgrim to move forward or not. As I stand upon the threshold of the world around me and the world below, I can feel the icy fingers upon the wind blowing up from the belly of the cave’s depths. They slowly reach out and curl around me. My body and soul surrender. I am lured into the infinite darkness. My choice has been made. I slowly, steadily begin my decent into the Underworld and into a world of my unexplored depths.
For thousands of years, caves held a deep and powerful meaning for spiritual and ritual purposes. To dare to venture into the depths of the earth, leaving the surface world behind is to willingly enter a place of mystery and perilous interaction. One can take on this task, hoping to initiate change. There is a purposeful intention to transform oneself when you strip away what is comfortable and known. By leaving the world that you know behind you, you choose to peel away your many layers. The choice to step away from the light of the surface world in order to be consumed by the darkness is daunting and even frightening. Some may even say foolish. However, with each step we take upon our own personal journey, we choose to embark on the quest of self-discovery and illumination. One can compare this choice to the Goddess Inanna and her decent into the Underworld. In her story, Inanna, Queen of the Heavens, systematically removed all that she possessed as she ventured through the gates of the Underworld. She striped away her physical tools, leaving her bare in her physical form. She is naked yet clothed by the Light of Her soul. The decision to take upon the personal quest to discover what is hidden beneath the surface is a difficult feat and one that is not to be taken lightly. Status, power, physical riches mean nothing as you choose to take on this life changing road. How far are you willing to go? How many gates would you pass through, entering the realm of endings before you are able to begin again? This is your personal journey and you are the only one who can decide to take it on.
Right now, as the cold winds blow and the silent, snowy blanket covers us, life is beginning to stir deep within the darkness. The Cailleach, the powerful Crone, walks the surface world’s lands. Deep within the Earth, the young Goddess sleeps in the darkness. By bringing her the light, the Maiden Goddess stirs. The act of bringing light into darkness, whether it is by a candle, the sun, or your heart’s light, we are helping to initiate the change. This is the time of year to dream. This is the time of year to welcome the light back into your life. By moving deeper into the darkened cave, you willingly bring the new light into the dark and hidden places within you. To take part in this life changing journey, is to breathe life into the world around and within you. Melting away the barriers that restrain the power of rebirth, you begin to transform. The subterranean cavern, the darkened tomb is now transformed into the Goddess’ womb. The act of offering light to darkness, is to invoke changes within you as well. You are lighting a space, a void, that holds the unknown, the unseen. You are taking a chance of discovery. Once the unknown is uncovered, you cannot go back to where you once were. That light revealing new found hope, wisdom, or healing, changes you. The information has been gathered. The shift has been initiated. You are forever changed. For good or for ill, your course has been altered. What is the result of being enveloped by an all-consuming darkness? Hopefully, you will see the beauty within and have the courage to embrace the brightness of our own soul’s light.
May you be well upon your journey.
~ Renee Bedard, The Whispering Crow
*Photos by Renee Bedard
The Whispering Crow 