Rainclouds

I wrote this poem a week or so ago, on a dark December morning, just before sunrise.

I could just make out the blackness of rainclouds, hanging low and heavy in the sky.

Their weight mirrored my own.

Months of long work hours and endless commutes had left me wrung out, a shadow of myself. The clouds seemed to press down, not just on the earth, but on my spirit. I didn’t want to be here, in this car, in this moment, in my skin.

But then, I caught it, that small, sly whisper of pity creeping in. I’ve been here before, trapped under this shroud.

I know the way out: not to fight, but to dive deeper into the dark. It’s not pleasant work, but I’ve learned that on the other side of the discomfort, something beautiful and unexpected, almost always happens.

As I drove on, the sky slowly began to lighten, casting new shapes and shadows on those black clouds. I thought about their weight, their ominous presence, and something shifted. What seemed so oppressive suddenly appeared differently to me. That heaviness—wasn’t it also full of potential? These clouds, so dark, were about to break open and nourish the earth. They were heavy with the very essence of life itself.

Here was a gift wrapped in a black blanket, impossible to see until it opens.

And then it happened. The sun rose, slipping beneath the darkness, igniting the horizon with a narrow strip of gold. It was breathtaking, a quiet miracle unfolding before me.

Something rose in me too, as if my realisation and the dawn were intertwined.

The weight lifted, and joy poured in.

It seems to me, that the deepest beauty of the heart hides in sadness.

The black clouds were still there, but now they seemed almost luminous, full of possibility rather than pressure.

It was as though they, too, had opened their hearts to the sun.

Staying on the theme of winter sunrises, here is a watercolour painting I painted for my mum as a Christmas gift.

Below are a set of four guided meditations I created on different subjects. Feel free to do what you want with them.

Below is a three part series of audio meditations I created for the new year. They are designed to help you work through any block that you may have and work towards freedom.

There is also a brand new NSDR recording. This stands for Non Sleep Deep Rest and is a style of meditation devised from yoga nidra. Practice it lying down and it will deeply rejuvenate you.

These are all premium practices on my Insight Timer teacher page.

Click here to follow me for many more.

Have a wonderful new year friends.