The Leveret

Friday, December 23, 2022

Selfie

Images: Subjects/photographers unknown.

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Honoring the Darkness While Remembering the Light

Writes Kalia Kelmenson . . .

The Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, [is here]. [Beyond it comes] the birth of a new year. This is a potent time for honoring the darkness that surrounds us, seeking the wisdom it holds, and creating space for light that is making its way into being.

Darkness brings an opportunity to live more deeply in every moment. In meditation, we close our eyes to limit the distraction from the outside world. When we are visited by grief, sadness, and despair, that kind of darkness seems to envelope everything around us. And yet, when we try to escape it, the darkness burrows its way deeper into our hearts.

The question then becomes: How do we honor the darkness while remembering the light?

Darkness is a time for release. We can unburden ourselves of the tethers we no longer wish to be bound by. We can sit with whatever emotions are living within us, feeling their depths and their contours, honoring their power. And then we can release the stories we have built around them that create the architecture that keep them anchored to us.

When we are complete with the honoring of the dark, we can begin to let in the light.

Light a single candle and let the flickering flame envelope your awareness. Begin to dream of what you want to spark the light for in your life. Let the intentions you hold in your heart begin to make their way into the light.

With the power of the cycles of nature surrounding us at this time, our intentions become amplified. Feel the fanning of the flames of your deepest desires and let yourself know the truth of what you are moving toward.

Write down your intentions for this next cycle, the places you will live into with all of your heart. Revisit these writings daily, and remember the sensations you felt while writing them down, the deep knowing that inhabited all of you.

As you go through your days, notice what you are bringing into the light of your awareness, what you are igniting with your attention. Ask yourself if that is what you want to be moving towards. If it is, keep moving towards it; if not, redirect your focus so that with each moment you are moving towards the light that was born from the seed of stillness in the dark.

May we all know how to harness the power of the dark, and move more powerfully toward the light.

– Kalia Kelmenson

See also the previous posts:
• Winter Solstice
• The Return of the Sun
• Let the Spiral Turn and Turn
• Winter Solstice Blessing
• Light-Bearer
• Sol Invictus
• Winter Hare
• December Hare

Image: “Luna Moon Hare at the Winter Solstice” by Wendy Andrew.

Monday, December 12, 2022

Bel Homme

Image: Subject and photographer unknown.

Thursday, December 8, 2022

Across Winter Fields

Image: Photographer unknown.

See also the previous posts:
• Afoot
• Field Runners
• Running Hare

Friday, December 2, 2022

Ansu

Ansu Kabia is a British actor best known for his role as Moses in Miss Scarlet and The Duke (2020-present).

He is also known for playing James Richards in the 2018 three-part BBC television series The Long Song (right), Ruthven Sykes in The Sandman (2022), and Tybalt in Branagh Theatre Live’s production of Romeo and Juliet (2016).

Above and below: Ansu Kabia as Tybalt in Branagh Theatre Live’s production of Romeo and Juliet.

The Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company in partnership with Picturehouse Entertainment, broadcast Romeo and Juliet live from the West End’s Garrick Theatre to more than 1,200 cinemas worldwide on July 7, 2016.

Above: Charles Dance as Sir Roderick Burgess / Magus and Ansu Kabia as Ruthven Sykes in The Sandman (2022), an American fantasy drama television series based on the 1989–1996 comic book written by Neil Gaiman.

Above and below: Ansu Kabia as Moses in Miss Scarlet and The Duke, a Victorian era crime drama created by Rachael New and starring Kate Phillips as Miss Eliza Scarlet and Stuart Martin as Scotland Yard Detective Inspector William Wellington (aka The Duke).

Notes Wikipedia: “Eliza Scarlet is determined, clever, and wily. Series writer and creator Rachael New took inspiration for the character from Jane Austen’s Elizabeth Bennett (Pride and Prejudice). Born into a middle-class family, Eliza uses her appearance as a refined Victorian lady to her advantage when working on cases. But underneath Eliza is scrappy and feisty, much to many people’s surprise, which works in her favour. William and Eliza work on numerous cases together, though she is uncredited, causing disputes between them. Eliza employs the services of a known criminal, Moses, much to William’s annoyance. Moses is amused by Eliza’s gumption and they connect as outsiders to society.”

Says Ansu about his character in Miss Scarlet and The Duke: “I think my favorite thing about playing Moses is how in the shadows he lives. He’s completely self-possessed, knows who he is, confident about who he is. He’s a survivor, someone who can work his way through any situation.”

Continues Ansu: “Moses and Duke have a complicated relationship with each other. Moses would try to avoid Duke as much as possible, and Duke could try and catch Moses, if he can, which he can’t. But we have a mutual love and respect for Eliza, so that’s what brings us together.”