Welcome to the Dark Half of the Year, when night overtakes day and we enter the cold, hibernation time. The vegetation dies and the Earth slumbers, as we retreat indoors and find ourselves alone with our thoughts more than we previously had been. Historically, these were the lean times, when our ancestors made their harvest stretch until the sun returned in the spring, bringing with it new life again. The energies, archetypes and deities associated with this time naturally embody that serious, wise, and internal energy that the season reflects. These energies are not scared of death, in fact they are the most comfortable with that energy of all the archetypes. This no longer means purely physical death in our modern society, but the death of the things that hold us back from being our fullest self. They can be habits, self-talk, relationships, or beliefs. In the darkness we can surrender and let it go. Grieve the loss, enjoy the spaciousness, find our new normal and emerge in the spring ready to expand and manifest our dreams.
Who are these deities of the Dark Half of the Year? Let's explore the Holly King and the Crone. And remember, work with them to the level you feel good about. You don't have to believe they exist in any form, other than as archetypes in our mind. They are symbols first and foremost. If you begin meditating on them and feel a deeper connection, enjoy exploring what is there, but don't force anything.
Meet the Holly King
The Holly King is the embodiment of the responsible masculine. He is paternal and wise, and isn't afraid to teach you a lesson. He's the grandfather who has endless wisdom, but no time for your excuses. At Mabon, he takes his place as Lord of Darkness, not because he particularly likes that title, but because someone needs to rule this time and who better for the role. He begins his rule by slaying the Oak King, the other embodiment of the masculine and truly of himself. He kills the carefree, playful, virile youth and becomes the stable, wise, and sober role model we need to get through the hard times.
His energy is felt in other more serious Gods, such as Odin, Saturn, Hades, Pluto, and Kronos. He's also associated with Santa Clause, where he brings joy and comfort to children on the darkest night, so he's truly not all tough lessons (although if you've been bad, there is the threat of coal!).
How to work with him:
Journal about your connection with masculinity in this form. How do you interact with authority? Do you feel like you embody his energy well? Do you have resistance or baggage associated with this energy?
Keep a planner or running to-do list. Make your word and commitments sacred. Honor him by embodying your responsible side.
He rules transformations and new beginnings, so set goals and make resolutions
Keep a sprig of holly on your alter
Call upon him during meditation and explore what messages come through
Meet the Crone
In the familiar triad of Maiden, Mother, Crone, the dark half of the year is ruled by the transformative Crone. At Mabon, the Mother slips gracefully towards her menopausal time, ending her fertility with the final harvest at Samhain. She then travels to the underworld to find the Oak King and revive him, and at Yule she lays down to rest and dream through the winter months as she transforms back into the young Maiden again at Ostara. The Crone is not afraid of death, the underworld, darkness or the subconscious shadow realm, in fact she rules them. She bravely walks were others fear to go and that is where she learns her most valuable lessons.
The Crone is embodied as Hecate, Cerridwen, Cailleach Bear, Hella, and Morrigan. She is both protective and fearsome, because she no longer fears the darkness and will force us to see the patterns within ourselves that need to die. She calls you to rest and to dream. To let go and let die. To come back to the primordial womb and transform and be reborn anew with her in the Spring.
How to connect with Crone energy:
Listen to your elders. Help a Crone during this time of year and let her tell you stories.
Keep a dream journal and interpret them daily.
Give yourself time to intentionally rest.
Learn about the Crone Goddesses and meditate on one that calls to you. Do you get any messages?
What are your feelings about death? Are you afraid? Do you live life avoiding death and pain? How do you feel about aging?
Burn a black candle to honor the Crone energy within yourself
The Value of Darkness
The term “Dark Half of the Year” can have an ominous feeling to it. Our society has disowned darkness in so many forms, skin color, nighttime, the unknown. Even new age communities espouse “Love and Light” and “Good Vibes Only” as mantras that suppress the darker aspects of life. This kind of thinking is what creates the divides which shadow work seeks to heal. Putting a moral or value judgment on any aspect of ourselves only serves to fragment us further. Bad things will happen. We will feel uncomfortable emotions. People will be jerks. Do we cover it up and run away from it with “Good Vibes Only” or do we face it boldly and let the experience move through us and transform us into a fuller, more compassionate, expansive version of ourselves?
Darkness is the womb. We all formed in darkness, only emerging into the light once we were ready to breath on our own. The seed is held in darkness through the winter, kept safe until the time is right for it to soften and break open in the soil's warm embrace. Before there were stars and or even a Universe, there was darkness. The contrast to light, the thing before time began. Be still. Be quiet. Be present. Be held. That is the darkness. Let it creep inside of you, let it float buried things to the surface. In the stillness feel each thing you're presented and decipher it's meaning and purpose without the use of your oh-so-rational eyes.
Inner vs Outer
The Dark Half of the Year is about the inner transformation. It's going within and seeing what lives there. The Light Half of the Year is about connecting with the external world and manifesting your dreams. And these two phases flow into each other. We need to check in and clear out our subconscious so we have a unified will with which to manifest, and we need these external experiences to highlight what areas still need some internal work.
The Value of Contraction
In our externally focused, constantly busy world, rest and reflection aren't prioritized, but it is in the pagan Wheel of the Year! This isn't idle time though. This is deep transformation work, and it requires quiet and time to relax. This is the time to cut away the old and make room for the new to grow in the spring. It's the time to think about your priorities and make sure you're truly aligned. It's the time to find your true North again, away from the expectations of others. Contract, come back, spiral within.
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