🌑 THE NOVEMBER & DECEMBER CHAOSSIER 🌕 (Erin Jean Warde)

I’m so pumped to share the November & December Chaossier! But first, a few reflections for the whole community.

🌑 THE NOVEMBER & DECEMBER CHAOSSIER 🌕

Hey y’all,

I’m so pumped to share the November & December Chaossier! But first, a few reflections for the whole community.

I came up with the idea to focus on THE GIFT OF DARKNESS & LIGHT weeks ago, before Halloween even. I was thinking about how the time change always affects me: how darkness feels more prevalent than light, especially as I begin to fall asleep at 5:30pm.

An example: I ended up laughing at myself, because it was evening and I thought… Do I even have time to watch a whole movie tonight? Reader, it was 6:45pm, lol. But it felt like 9:00pm & that’s bedtime!

Another inspiration for our focus for the rest of the year came from how The Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney encouraged me, many years ago as she spoke at the church I served in Dallas, to interrogate how I view “darkness” and how that can correlate to how we understand Black beloved children of God. This is an especially important call to interrogation within Christianity, as we often use metaphors that level darkness as the enemy of the light. If we want the light to “win” over darkness, what does that say about how we understand beloved children of God with dark skin?

I was also inspired by the season of Advent in the Christian church, how a common ritual is for us to light candles each week, making Advent wreaths both at home and in the sanctuary. What does this ritual of candles & light mean for us?

I was additionally inspired by the deep grief that can emerge in these tender months with so little sunlight. How our seasonal affective disorder can take on the likes of a depression that might never end, especially if a death of someone we love correlates with the season, and even just the sensation of observing the holidays with the gaping wound of those who should be sitting beside us at the dinner table. What might the “Blue Christmas” energy of the seasons have to tell us about the gift of darkness & light?

And lastly, I thought of something I experienced within my own grief: a pretty textbook dark night of the soul, which sounds completely ominous and without much gift, but when experienced, can be the experience of growing into a deeper resilience and, for some, an experience of growing even closer to God through whatever sent us into the darknest nights of our most intimate souls.

So, for the rest of the year, we will travel all over the place, through the gift of darkness & light—because this is Chaos Land, what did you expect? I’d also love to hear from you, anytime you’d like to say hi. You can respond via email to my newsletters if you’d like to speak just to me. <3

I appreciate you and your presence here more than I can say. I believe there are gifts within both darkness & light and I’m excited to explore them with you.

With love & care,
EJW

GROUNDED IN ADVENT

Before I get into the Chaossier, I want to highlight this group spiritual direction offering through Stevenson School for Ministry!

The Rev. Erin Jean Warde will hold a virtual space to offer care and support during the Advent season. We know the season of winter can evoke grief, sadness, depression, and more—Grounded in Advent provides a group spiritual direction opportunity for those who find this to be a tender season, emotionally and spiritually. During group spiritual direction sessions you can expect an opening grounding exercise, time to share the joys and challenges of your life alongside others, and time for closing prayer.

This workshop will meet for one hour weekly on Zoom on December 4, 11, and 18, from 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern.

If you’re currently a free subscriber & wanna explore November & December’s Chaossier with us, chime in on the discussion, & come to live calls, we would love to have you. If money makes this impossible for you, please reach out & let’s see what we can figure out for you. <3