First Universalist Society of
Central Square, NY
Reflections
On Shadows
February 3,
2008
Rev.
Margaret A. Hart
We just celebrated Groundhog Day,
February 2. This is a secular holiday which is celebrated in the states of
Pennsylvania and New York. As legend
would have it, the groundhog emerges from his burrow on February 2, and if he
sees his shadow, he returns to his burrow to hibernate for another 6 weeks of
winter. If he doesn’t see his shadow,
winter is nearly over. In this way, the
groundhog is given the credit, and the blame, for predicting the winter
weather. I understand that this year the
groundhog saw it’s shadow, so we’re in for six more
weeks of winter. Of course, there were man-made lights which insured that there
would be a shadow, even though it was a cloudy day. So much for leaving it to nature!
According to Wikipedia,
the on-line encyclopedia, “perhaps the earliest known American reference to
Groundhog Day can be found at the Historical Society of Berks County in
Reading, Pennsylvania. The reference was made Feb. 4, 1841 in Morgantown, Berks
County, Pennsylvania in storekeeper James Morris' diary: "Last Tuesday,
the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which,
according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if
he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be
cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate."”
Also according to Wikipedia:
“In western countries in the Northern Hemisphere the official first day of Spring is about six weeks after Groundhog Day, on March 20
or 21. About 1,000 years ago, before the adoption of the Gregorian calendar
when the date of the equinox drifted in the Julian calendar, the spring equinox
fell on March 16 instead. This was exactly six weeks after February 2. Assuming
that the equinox marked the first day of spring in certain medieval cultures,
as it does now in western countries, Groundhog Day occurred exactly six weeks
before spring. Therefore, if the groundhog saw his shadow on Groundhog Day
there would be six more weeks of winter. If he didn't, there would be 42 more
days of winter. In other words, the Groundhog Day tradition may have begun as a
bit of folk humor.
Alternatively, the custom could have
been a folk embodiment of the confusion created by the collision of two calendrical systems. Some ancient traditions marked the change
of season at cross-quarter days such as Imbolc when
daylight first makes significant progress against the night. Other traditions
held that Spring did not begin until the length of
daylight overtook night at the Vernal Equinox. So an arbiter, the groundhog /
hedgehog, was incorporated as a yearly custom to settle the two traditions.
Sometimes Spring begins at Imbolc [February 2], and
sometimes Winter lasts 6 more weeks until the
equinox.”
Whether or not we give any creedence to the groundhog’s predictions, or in fact any
validity to the accuracy of Wikipedia, which in
effect can be edited by anyone, Groundhog Day did get
me reflecting on the significance of the shadow in our lives. So I decided to see what Wikipedia
had to say about shadow. It said: “An
unattended shadow or shade was thought by some cultures to be similar to that
of a ghost, a flicker of a life unable to end for some reason.” Some people
here believe in ghosts, or life forms that may appear between lives. It is not beyond the realm of
possibility. One of the Sources of the
Living Tradition from which we draw as Unitarian Universalists
is: Direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in
all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of the spirit. In other words, each of us can
have a direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder. Revelation is
not sealed.
Wikipedia
goes on to say: “It is also believed as an alternative construct that shadows
are in fact a representation of God's presence around an object; like a
halo.” Some people in this congregation
believe in God, and some do not. But
the Unitarian and Universalist churches grew from
Christian roots, and another of the Unitarian Universalist
sources is Jewish and Christian teachings, so I decided to consult my
Bible to find references to “shadow”.
Two references from Psalms resonated with me in this regard: Ps 17:8, Guard
me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. And Ps 91:1, You
who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the
Almighty. In this context, the
shadow is seen as a shelter or sanctuary, and a support. I think that most of
us can relate to the need for, and presence, of a sanctuary or shelter of some
sort, whether related to God, family, friends, or whatever.
Another source of the Unitarian Universalist tradition is: Wisdom from the world’s religions which inspires us in our ethical and spiritual
life. Wikipedia
continues: “Early eastern beliefs also play to this theory. For example, Vishnu
(a prominent Hindu god) would appear to help followers by assisting with tasks
by lending some of its extra arms to assist the burden of the person.” Many of us have experienced, or know others
who have experienced, what seems to be divine assistance in tasks which
otherwise seem too difficult to accomplish. . . for example the frail
grandmother who is able to lift a heavy object off her grandchild who is pinned
beneath it.
In addition to consulting Wikipedia and the Bible for insights into shadows, I have
also been contemplating the role of shadows in our lives. To exist, a shadow requires a source of light and
a solid or opaque object which blocks that source of light. In our lives, there are both light and
shadow. Some people see life as black and white, but in my experience there are
mostly shades of gray. The lights and
the shadows are essential, and both have a lot to teach us. Lights can be inspiring, but they can also be
blinding. Shadows can be scary, but they
can also be comforting. One of my
favorite books was written by the Buddhist Nun, Pema Chodron, The Places That
Scare You. In it she encourages us
to acknowledge and approach the things which frighten us, and to learn from
them, as they contain important lessons for us.
Too often, we tend to avoid that which frightens us, never derive the
lessons contained, and remain afraid.
In the course of reflecting on
shadows, I took a break and went to see the movie “Charlie Wilson’s War”. It’s
a film I had wanted to see, and it was playing at the Hollywood Theater for
$1.75. My husband invited me to go with
him; it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.
Toward the end of the movie, a story by a Zen Master was told. A wild horse had been caught by a farmer’s
son, and all the townspeople said what a good thing it was. The Zen Master said simply, “We’ll see.” When the young man was training the horse, he
fell and broke his leg; and all the townspeople said what a terrible thing it
was. The Zen Master said simply, “We’ll
see.” Then a war broke out and all the
able-bodied young men were conscripted. The young man with the broken leg
couldn’t go to war, and all the townspeople said what a good thing it was. The Zen Master said simply, “We’ll see.” This story was told in the context of the support
the United States was secretly providing the Afghan army against the Soviet
invaders of the time. The U.S. support
for the Afghan army seemed to turn the tide of the war, but what shadows were
left behind? We still have an active
military presence in Afghanistan today.
Even when we make our decisions in the light of day, with considerable
forethought, we don’t always know what the side effects will be, and what
shadows will occur. As the Zen Master
would say” “We’ll see”.
One shadow of wars has been the
suffering of soldiers and their families. The deployments of soldiers have
become longer, and often there are multiple deployments of the same people.
This causes hardship for the soldiers and their families and friends. There is increased stress, as well as the
practical loss of the deployed service member’s physical presence and
assistance in the home and community.
Sometimes there is permanent loss.
If military service personnel do return, they often have suffered
injuries which impact them, and their loved ones, on an ongoing basis. Most of
us have heard about the increasing incidence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,
or PTSD, among returning military personnel, and the inadequacy of resources to
help cope with it. Returning military
personnel will never be the same people they were before participating in
war. How can one shoot at and kill
others, and be shot at and see one’s friends be injured or killed, and not be
changed? And yet, they are expected to
return to their families and jobs. . . their lives. .
. as though they are the same people.
I read an article recently that said
that suicides among returning military personnel has increased alarmingly- “Suicides among
active-duty soldiers in 2007 reached their highest level since the Army began
keeping such records in 1980, according to a draft internal study obtained by
The Washington Post. Last year, 121 soldiers took their own lives, nearly 20
percent more than in 2006. At the same time, the number of attempted suicides
or self-inflicted injuries in the Army has jumped sixfold
since the Iraq war began. Last year, about 2,100 soldiers injured themselves or
attempted suicide, compared with about 350 in 2002, according to the U.S. Army
Medical Command Suicide Prevention Action Plan. The Army was unprepared for the
high number of suicides and cases of post-traumatic stress disorder among its
troops, as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have continued far longer than
anticipated.”
Whether or not we
agree with our country’s military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, I think
all of us would agree that we have a responsibility to take good care of our
veterans when they return home. It is
unacceptable that they and their loved ones are having
to deal with the effects of PTSD and other injuries, let alone dealing with
them without adequate supports. These
ongoing injuries are one of the lengthening shadows left behind by our military action. Another, often disregarded shadow, is the
loss of life, injury, and loss of infrastructure and the ensuing suffering on
the part of soldiers and civilians, women and children, in the lands in which
we are engaged in military action, whether declared or covert. Again, we need to be aware of the lengthening
shadows, anticipate and try to prevent their creation, and act responsibly to
alleviate the suffering we create.
While I have focused a
lot this morning on the negative side of the shadows we create, as in war, I
would like us to remember that shadows or shade can also be seen in a positive
light, as a sanctuary or a haven. I
recently received an e-mail with various ways that 4-8 year old children think
about love. In it, Leo Buscaglia described a contest he was
asked to judge: “The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman
who had recently lost his wife. Upon
seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed
onto his lap, and just sat there. When
his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry".”
As I think about our
ministry in this world, I realize that we can all work to transform the
tragedy of loss and suffering into a source of deeper meaning and hope. For me, that is the essential work of
ministry. Sometimes just being with
another person, in a silent space of love, is all that is required.
In closing, I’d like
to share something which Alice Walker wrote in her most recent book, We Are The Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Inner Light in a Time of
Darkness. She writes: “This place of peace, of serenity and
gratitude, does exist. It is available to all. In a way, this place of quiet
and peacefulness could be said to be our shadow. Our deserved shadow. Our African Amerindian
shadow. In European thought the shadow is rarely understood as positive,
because it is dark, because it is frequently behind us, because we cannot see
it; but for us, ultrasensitive to the blinding glare
of racism and suffering daily the searing effects of incomprehensible behavior,
our shadow of peace, that we so rarely see, can be thought of as
welcoming shade, the shade of an internal tree.
A tree that grows beside an internal river that bathes
us in peace. Meditation is the path
that leads to this internal glade. To
share that certainty is the greatest privilege and joy.”
Once we have
experienced its presence within us, and are certain of its existence, each of
us can choose to visit this internal glade whenever we wish. May we clear a well-worn path to this glade
through our frequent visits. And may all our thoughts and actions arise
from this place of internal peace. In
this way we will invite others to share our peace and will create shadows or
shades of healing and sanctuary. As
Greta Crosby advised in our responsive reading this morning, “let us praise
winter, rich in beauty, challenge, and pregnant negativities.” May this be our approach, not just to winter,
but to life.
May it be so.