Welcoming the winter darkness. The opportunity to rest. To sink into stillness. To surrender knowing to the mystery. To open our hearts to grief. To warm our bones with solace. To find comfort in the quiet of the empty space. The pause between exhale and inhale before the new year begins.

Once upon a time in Los Angeles, a statue of a goddess started winking at me from across the room.

When I asked her name, she told me she was Salus, the Roman counterpoint of Hygeia, the goddess of wellness, connected to Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

The first pillar:

Starting again…

With your blessing.