The
Church of England’s theme for Christmas this year is Calm and Bright, words
taken from the carol Silent Night. Calmness and brightness are images that
belong with the parasympathetic nervous system that is meant to kick in when
present danger is past. They are associated with the hormone oxytocin, which plays
a part in protecting the new mother’s body from excessive bleeding, in the
stimulation of milk production, and in the social bonding of mother and child. And
because every person is different, every birth has its own unique experience of
oxytocin, of calmness and brightness welling up or somehow being quenched.
But
these feelings, that may be experienced by the body, are also experienced by
the mind. In the aftermath of childbirth and having been visited by the
shepherds with their tales of an angel army proclaiming peace, Mary treasured all
these words and pondered them in her heart. Whereas the treasure that had been held
in her womb had now been brought out for the world to see, Mary builds up a new
treasure in the warm darkness of another inner chamber. She will return to them
many times over the years to come, and not least in times of external and cold
darkness. Fleeing to Alexandria. Standing at the foot of the cross. In times
when anxiety rises within her, she will quell the storm. And also, in times of joy.
In the family home at Nazareth. At a wedding in Cana.
Calm
is a regulation of our emotions, such that we can ride the waves, neither
tossed about by crashing breakers nor stuck in a doldrum. And we can adopt
practices that grow our ability for calm, as non-anxious people.
This
morning, I sat in the darkness with Mary, allowing my eyes to grow accustomed
to the light – for there is light, even in darkness – and breathing slowly and
deeply. Just for a few short minutes, before moving into my day.
What
practices help you to be calm and bright?
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