Every year, the autumn equinox arrives, and I begin to think almost constantly about light and darkness. It’s how I cope with the shortening days, I suppose–by turning inward, by meditating on the waning light and the gathering dark. It’s become an annual ritual and a touchstone of mine to spend the evening of winter solstice, the longest night of the year, by candlelight, reading the opening chapter of the gospel of John. That’s another touchstone of mine–those transcendently beautiful words about peace and joy, light and life, coming among us.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5
I thought, given that the darkness feels especially close and especially deep this year, that I’d spend the weeks leading up to winter solstice in exploring a few other touchstones–in reflecting on books that got me through childhood and youth, and that exemplify, to me, some of the loveliest qualities displayed by human beings–the virtues of faith, hope and charity. The books I plan to explore may not be your particular touchstones–indeed, as an adult reader I recognize flaws in them that I didn’t during my younger years, but they’re still stories I come back to, because they remind me of goodness, and of how we can all function as light in the darkness to others.
I hope you’ll join me–my plan is to update this series more or less every other week (unless life, as it tends to, gets in the way) and to cover the following.
Faith in the Journey: on Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings
Hope Between Worlds: on Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia
The Comfort of Charity: on L’Engle’s Austin Family Chronicles
The Witchery of Living: Virtue in the Poetic Works of Mary Oliver
I hope to see you back, and wish you happiness and health <3
