Learn how to see in the dark

The Winter Solstice is marked as the darkest point on the wheel of the year. It occurs when the earth’s poles reach its maximum tilt away from the Sun.  

The earth is tilted away from the sun on the Winter solstice, it's the time of year to face towards the dark. 

The 21st of December marks the official day of Winter until we rise again on the Spring Equinox in March. 

The time between now and spring gives you the opportunity to study the opposite pole to light.

The dark is not negative or bad it’s simply an unknown.

It holds many gifts and it’s a time to conserve and nourish your body rather than rushing back towards the light.

You can look at it like the Chinese yin/ yang symbol, which teaches you the dual nature of everything. 

It’s my favorite time of year as I journey inwards to find resources, inspiration and wisdom. 

How do you feel in the dark?

I’ve been working with the dark as a teacher for a long time.

 As a student and teacher of the feminine mysteries, I know the mystery won't reveal itself until you step into the unknown.

In Native American teachings the bat is the opposite pole to the Hummingbird.

The light loving Hummingbird is the symbol for my art studio in Tralee Co.Kerry. 

The Hummingbird is a symbol of joy and lightness of being. 

Its opposite the bat, is completely self sufficient in the dark, it uses sound instead of sight.

Bats can use returning echoes to detect objects as fine as a human hair in total darkness. Bat brains map the echoes in a way that lets them home in on insects or avoid obstacles.. 

Do you trust your other senses to guide you?

Studying the dark at a dark cave retreat August 2023

I did not know the bat was the opposite pole to the hummingbird when I booked a dark cave retreat in Italy in August 2023. 

A dark cave retreat is where you spend three days in complete silence and darkness in a room/ cave. 

I entered the dark at sunset on a Sunday and came back out at sunrise on Wednesday.The room was really basic with a bed, sink, prayer mat and it had three stone steps that led up to a bathroom. 

My food was collected from this hole that was built into the door but no light would get through. 

Alot of fear goes through the mind at first because you have no reference points or distractions.

It's quite an overwhelming experience having no reference points, but you can't allow the experience to swallow you up.

I had to command my own sense of inner authority within it. 

The warrior in me took center stage and it showed me you how to manage the intense darkness. 

And with nothing to do,no book to read, no phone or people, the only thing I could was set myself some tasks. 

Even though i’d no concept of time or day or night, a routine started to present itself.

I had to eat, shower, brush my teeth, use the bathroom, meditate and exercise.

These simple tasks can take quite some time as you're trying to sense your way through the room. 

After a few times crawling in the dark you start to get a bit cocky and think you know your way.

But you don't, each time you begin a new journey to drink a glass of water or roll out a yoga mat. 

The main sense I used was touch and I’d feel the different textures and their temperatures as I crawled instead of walked. 

You could sense roughly the times of the day by when you were given food once in the morning and once in the afternoon. 

I would feel the temperture of the walls cooling down which was an indication the day was over.

I also decided to do Dark paintings, on the second day when my system had adjusted.

I made the decision to create a painting everytime I returned from the bathroom. I placed a sketchbook and watercolour pens and a glass of water on the counter to the left of the three stone steps.

The first time I painted x’s, then I painted O’s , then I just made marks. I’d mark the page the corner of the page, so I’d know the next time there was a painting on that page.

Tools I used in the dark 

The worst thing I could do in the dark was panic.

Fear generated by the mind can quickly get out of control and conjure up all the horror stories . Fear serves its purpose too , it shows you what needs to be looked at and then transmuted back into power. 

Instead of allowing the fear to take over, I addressed the fears that I was holding in my body and rewired them through movement and mantra.

I used my tools to keep my mind and nervous system calm and steady. 

I used mantras and affirmations to focus my mind. 

I used non linear movement which is a type of  somatic movement that works with strengthening the nervous system.  

I also used meditation and body scanning.

When I got out of the dark cave retreat at sunrise on the Wednesday morning, the first thing I did was check my dark paintings. Did I paint anything in the dark? Were there any colours, what colours did I use?

Finding different ways to see

Learning how to see in the dark is also an opportunity to build your power and trust in yourself.

You learn how not to give your energy and power away, but instead embrace the darkness and see what it is trying to teach you. 

I’d everything I needed and through my skills I saw that the dark was my ally and it was nothing to fear.

x

Tricia

Dark paintings

Meditation Circle at Hummingbird Studio

My Meditation circle begins in Hummingbird Studio Collis Sandes House, Tralee Co.Kerry in January 2024

Meditation will help you to see yourself clearly, to understand who you are, how others see you, and how you fit into the world around you. 

Each week I respond to the moons, the wheel of the year and certain needs in your local community and wider society. 

This weekly practice opens you to positive emotions and outcomes. 

It also leads people into exploring how to maintain better professional and personal boundaries. When you learn to love yourself over time you learn to respect and cherish your own space and time more. 

There is a possibility of you becoming a zen master of meditation. But ultimately this circle is about cultivating more loving kindness, calm and joy in your life. 

The circle is the culmination of my study of meditation, moon cycle awareness and the wheel of the year. 

I work with a number of simple practices that can be used at work and at home.

You’ll develop a relationship with the self, which is your own being, identity and values 

Guided meditations also help you to develop your connection to your imagination and creativity. 

The tools have been used in art residencies in schools, community support work and outreach services.

Body Scanning and Grounding 

Before we do anything in a circle, first we slow down, ground and focus on the breath. 

Body scanning is a tool used to connect the mind and body and bring you back to the present moment.

You’ll learn how to focus your mind on certain points in the body, the top of the head, the tip of the nose, your left wrist etc.

Metta

I teach metta meditation which are loving kindness meditations. Metta meditation is a concentration practice. 

You direct loving kindness towards yourself,then it extends towards those you love,those you are indifferent about, then those you're having disagreements with.The loving kindness that is directed towards yourself has a ripple effect on everyone around you.

Example of a metta prayer

May I hold myself with compassion, may I treat others with kindness, may I be free of anger and aggression, may I let go of that which causes harm 

Over 6 weeks you’ll learn how to be the compassionate observer of your life rather than the active participant. 

To put it simply, you’ll be slower to engage in arguments or environments that are not good for you when you have a regular meditation practice. 

It’ll help you step back and ask yourself ‘’Is this fight worth it,does this matter in the grand scheme of things’’. 

Maintaining inner peace is a very positive result of a regular meditation practice. 

You’ll also have a stronger awareness of the present moment and the beauty that's contained in the mundane.

Guided Meditations

In class we meditate for 20 minutes at a time and the guided meditation works with the energies that each moon cycle contains. 

Meditating with the moons is all about learning open to the wisdom that each moon cycle brings

I know the power of connecting groups to the moons,and how it helps people navigate life's challenges 

For example on the new moon you plant seeds and on the full moon you let go of excess baggage and old emotions. 

Each moon contains specific information and the guided meditations are developed in a way that heals you.

Extra tools to support you in Meditation circle 

Visionary Card deck

You’ll also gain insights from my Visionary Card deck. I created a deck and wrote a book about 22 divine masters during lockdown 2020. Each divine master leads you to a path of transformation and enlightenment. They can help you with anything from creativity, confidence, personal power and self mastery. 

Each week you’ll gain specific information from them and about the moon phases that we’re in.

x

Tricia

#tralee #hummingbirdstudio #meditation #mooncycles #focus #calm #peace #joy #love #harmony #mindfulness '#lovingkindness