Advent Ember Days: The Time of Tender Light

(The Wednesday, Friday & Saturday following St. Lucy’s Day which falls on December 13^th.)

This is an excerpt from the Advent/December section of the resource Entwining: Ember Days and the Circling Seasons. It is the first day of three in this season. You can read more about Ember Days here. You can purchase the complete resource that includes prayer, practice and reflection for three days in each of the seasons of Advent, Lent, Pentecost and Ordinary Time here.

“When God wished to create the world, [God]; leaned down in tenderest love and provided all that was needed . . . for in the beginning, when God said, ‘Let it be’ the means and matrix of creation was love, because all creation was formed through [Love].” Hildegard of Bingen

“The child to be born of you will be holy.”  Luke 1:35a

In December-Advent Ember Days we enter the womb time of the year.

“there is darkness and there God shines, — within you and all that is.”  Meister Eckhart

Preparing a Space
Journal and pen
Fragrant Evergreen
Candle
The name of the tree you chose*
Whatever symbol feels meaningful for you in these days.

(These are the things of the North American December, the Advent time, the waiting time, the time of the beautiful ache)

We are in the deep blue time of Advent; we feel the flow of time that can only be told in a circle.  We remember the light, we face the darkness, we prepare for the advent of the Child of Light who is tender with shadows.  Over and over, we do this.  Over and over the natural world does this. The trees stand in their bareness, made articulate by shadows.  They tell us that we too can find our voice in the dark.  We watch, we wait expectantly, we prepare. 

In darkness God is promising Light.
Nature is promising light.
We are paying attention.

Tradition Touchstones
Prayer, fasting and ordination are traditional observances of Ember Days or the Sunday after Ember Days.  Here we remember the traditional elements and shape them for this moment. Each day we’ll pay particular attention to one of the elements.

Wednesday: Prayer 
Choose a mid-day moment to pause with an intention to make space for God, Living Presence, the Holy.  Just slow down for a moment and remember to turn toward God with open heart.  Take 6 slow breaths.

A Pause, A Practice, A Posture
One of the things I do when I wait or when I welcome is to make tea.  And so, I invite you to create the space for tea in each of these Advent Ember Days.  Take time in the light of morning or the deepening darkness of evening with tea that comes from the plants of the earth, tea that is fragrant and steaming in the cold, tea that when first poured is both dark and shining.

In my life tea is the drink of companionship.  It steadies me, it welcomes others, it connects me with my ancestors whose work was the blending and selling of tea.

The ritual of tea holds the mindfulness of preparation, of setting out and of rest, of waiting and of easing the emptiness after goodbye.  With it I’ve marked the threshold of hard and holy moments.  Black tea, orange pekoe is my favourite; I love the beauty of it, newly brewed, the light shining through.

So, I invite you to begin to move into slow time by choosing a cup or mug or small bowl that attracts you in this moment.  Brew yourself some tea in a pot, if possible.  When it is steeped pour it slowly. 

Settle with it into your space and set your intention toward holy rest.

Breathing in, I pause
Breathing out: I am still.
I feel the entwining of darkness and light
I trust the promise.
I open myself to the gift. 

Drink your tea slowly, noticing
Its fragrance,
Its warmth
The way your body receives it.

Give thanks for this moment.

Journal
You may want to journal with one or more of these questions or with whatever these Advent Ember Days are awakening in you.

What does a slow cup of tea stir inside you?

When do you rest?
What happens in darkness (think of the earth and of your own life and the life of the world).
What is your relationship with darkness?   When you hear the word do you think of womb time?

Darkness will Do
The mystery of your life
is that you are to do
nothing less than this;
to radiate God. Don’t
look for light outside
yourself; look inside;
darkness will do
as the place to start.   
Meister Eckhart 

*Naming a tree is explained in the full Entwined resource.