Ep #163: Embracing and Illuminating the Darkness

We have turned the year. We have turned the year. I read about this ritual of repeating this phrase in the book Wintering by Katherine May. And I thought it was a beautiful way to begin this particular episode as I wish you happy holidays, winter solstice, merry Christmas.

And I have a special holiday greeting for you this episode, and also maybe an invitation to explore rituals of your own for marking the turning of the year, but even more than that, that we have also turned the year, that we have a place in nature, in the cosmos, in this turning, and also an invitation to come into an orientation that I hope is an enriching and deepening, inspiring, and empowering one for you.

I also have some special guests in this episode. I hope you enjoy.

You are listening to The Art School Podcast; a show for artists and creatives who want to become the next greatest version of themselves. Learn how to cultivate an extraordinary way of being and take the mystery out of making money, and the struggle out of making art. Here is your host, master certified life coach, artist, and former lawyer, Leah Badertscher.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to another episode of The Art School Podcast. Today I have a special episode for you and also a very short and sweet episode. As you might be able to tell from my voice, I am feeling a little under the weather.

And so, while I was taking the advice of our dear Dr. Kathleen Berg and resting up during this winter season, apparently, I have more resting to do, including for my voice, so that I can be going strong in the new year.

And so, without further ado though, I have recruited some helpers for this episode, some of my own very special elves, some very special guests. And so, I would like to welcome to the podcast – why don’t you come over here, guys – my children, Elijah, Samuel, and Blaise. And they wanted to wish all of you a…

Elijah, Samuel, and Blaise: A Happy holidays, a merry Christmas, and a happy New Year.

Leah: Okay, so now, we are going to do a brief round-robin of introductions. Who wants to go first? Oh, they’re putting their sister first, the youngest. What’s your name?

Blaise: Blaise.

Leah: And how old are you?

Blaise: Eight.

Leah: What’s on your Christmas list this year?

Blaise: Knitting needles.

Leah: Knitting needles? And what else?

Blaise: Oh yeah, roller skates.

Leah: Do you have anything else you want to tell everyone? Any advice?

Blaise: Nope.

Leah: Okay. Alright, Elijah.

Elijah: Yes, I’m Elijah. I’m 12 years old, soon to be 13. And one thing on my Christmas list is probably a Notre Dame necklace or chain.

Leah: Do you have anything you want to share with the audience?

Elijah: Don’t let worry get you down.

Leah: That’s great. And now we have…

Samuel: Samuel.

Leah: And how old are you?

Samuel: 11.

Leah: And what’s on your list?

Samuel: A Speed Cube.

Leah: Is there anything else you want to share with the audience. Do you have any advice or anything like that?

Samuel: No.

Leah: Are you sure? Because you’re full of advice. None tonight? Okay. Alright. Well, thanks, guys. Thanks for helping me out.

And so, now they are off. And hopefully off to bed. I’m sure they’ll be asleep, teeth brushed, everything by the time I get upstairs. But yeah, just a little bit of an audio holiday greeting card for all of you. I just got whomped by something. Not COVID. I felt slightly whomped last week and recovered. And then, once again.

And so, while my mind says, “You have been resting enough,” clearly my body and my voice are saying something differently. So, I want to truly give myself a rest, but then also send my gratitude and send my love and my deepest most sincere wishes for a blessed, fortunate, prosperous holiday season for all of you.

And I was thinking about what thoughts to share with you during this time. And this is just post-solstice, so we are at the darkest point of the year. And so, when I was thinking about this episode and what I wanted to share, what I most want to share are not only things that illuminate the darkness, but that also are an invitation to embrace the profound nature, the sanctity, the holiness of the darkness.

And on that note, I do have a couple books. The Wintering book by Katherine May is a more recent book, and it is beautiful. I highly recommend that. And another book, The Fruitful Darkness by Joan Halifax. And also, another tried and true – I kind of go through phases and seasons with this one. Every few years, I pull it back out and this is one of those years, but The Book of Awakening, it’s a daybook, by the poet, the author, the philosopher Mark Nepo.

Finally, the last thing I wanted to share was to remind you of your numinous self, to remind you of your divine nature. And also, on a fun, pragmatic, very modern point, if you have not yet discovered the joy that is OneLook Thesaurus – a shoutout to my mentor Laura Belgray for turning me onto this.

But if you type in numinous into OneLook and look for similar definitions, similar words related to numinous and just glance at the words that come up – and here’s why I’m suggesting this. Because no matter what you are facing in life and going through in life, it can be so easy to get pulled down into the fray and to be faced with challenges and difficulties and darkness, whether that is the literal darkness at this time of year, in this part of the hemisphere, or whether those are dark times in your own life, dark places, dark nights of the soul.

And it’s one thing to go through those things while you are feeling like, pardon my French, a piece of shit, while you are just feeling beaten down and terrible and broken. It is another thing to be reminded.

And let this be our reminder. You’re not hearing his by mistake. It’s another thing to move through those times, with even just the hit of a reminder that you are a numinous being. You are a numinous being and the challenges that are facing you are coming, being presented to a numinous being.

They are not beating you down, there to show you your ineptitude or your unworthiness or your lowness. But think of them instead, the challenges that come to you, but then also too the opportunities. Think of them coming to you as a numinous being and see if that doesn’t reframe your orientation and lift your spirit, allow you to embrace both the fruitful darkness within yourself and the luminosity when you are considering your orientation, your true nature as a numinous being.

So, that is my coach with me for all of you today, to sit with the gift that is your numinous self, to allow yourself the time and the space in this one precious lifetime to unwrap that gift, of your own numinosity. And even if you’re not feeling anything when I say that or when you sit with it, just sit there and know that it’s being done. Drop that word into your psyche. Know that it’s moving around that being, rearranging your being, already helping you move back into a remembrance, a recognition, a recognition, a reknowing, a reclaiming of your numinous self.

Try it on. Whatever challenges are facing you, whatever opportunities are on your horizon, how do you think and feel about it differently when you are coming from the perspective of a numinous being?

Thank you so much for listening to another episode of The Art School Podcast. If you have enjoyed this podcast, I would love your help in paying it forward. If you could go to iTunes and subscribe and leave a review, that really helps me reach more people with this audience and move the work forward.

Also, if you’re interested in learning more about working with me personally, you can do so by visiting my website, www.leahcb.com. I do have a new mastermind launching at the end of January and a few openings for private clients in 2022. And if we’re not yet connected on Instagram, I would love to do so there. My handle is @leahcb1.

To close, I’d like to echo the way I opened. We have turned the year. Together, my friends, those of you I have met and those of you who I just get to speak to every week, who still feel quite close to me, we have turned the year; we, numinous beings. I cannot wait to see what the new year brings and, in the meantime, truly wishing all of you a very blessed solstice season, happy holidays, merry Christmas, and a happy New Year. Have a beautiful week and I look forward to talking with you next time.