Dear Friends,
This December, Guiding Light, invites readers into a seasonal arc inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Across four weeks, we are walking with the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and yet to come, though not as relics of Victorian storytelling, but as living archetypes that speak to our own times.
Each Spirit offers a lesson in how we hold memory, presence, and consequence, and how these threads weave into the turning of the year.
Substack
Each weekly reflection post will be published to Substack: @cerysguidinglight. If you'd like them delivered directly into your Inbox, please sign up.
Week 1: Memory and the Ghost of Christmas Past
We began with memory: the stories that shape us, the echoes of childhood, and the landscapes that hold our joy and sorrow. The Ghost of Christmas Past reminds us that memory is not a prison but a teacher. In Spiritual Ecology, the Land herself remembers everything - carrying scars, blessings, and wisdom that guide us forward.
Week 2: Presence and the Ghost of Christmas Present
The second week invites us into radical presence. Dickens’ ghost is abundant, generous, and overflowing with feast and laughter. Yet it also reveals the hidden suffering of those we overlook. To be present is to notice. Whether that is the steam rising from a cup, the waxy green of holly leaves, the laughter in a room. What matters is that we extend compassion where it is most needed including to ourselves.
Week 3: Plenty and Responsibility
Here we explore the paradox of plenty: that joy and festivity are inseparable from responsibility. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows us its children of Ignorance and Want, reminding us that stewardship is not just about Land but about people and community too. Celebration without care is hollow; true abundance is shared with all. In our own times, this lesson speaks directly to child poverty and hunger. Supporting charities such as the Trussell Trust and local food banks is a way of embodying Dickens’ call to compassion, ensuring that festivity is not just for some, but for all.
Week 4: Composting and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Finally, we walk with silence and shadow. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come points not to punishment but to possibility. In its presence, we are invited to compost what no longer serves us - habits, fears, neglect - and to sow seeds of kindness, courage, and renewal. The soil of our lives transforms endings into beginnings.
Closing Reflection
Together, these lessons remind us that Dickens’ tale is timeless because it speaks to us about transformation.
That it is never too late to decide and intend to make changes in our daily lives.
This is not the same as New Year resolutions, which are often made with a flash of goodwill but seldom kept. Instead it is about memory, presence, responsibility, and consequence: not just Victorian themes, but wider ecological truths.
As we step into The New Year, may we carry forward the wisdom of this arc: to live with generosity, to honour ourselves, and to sow joy and stewardship for the future.
Blessing
Wishing you all a bountiful Festive period full of warmth and wonder, and a New Year of peace, stewardship, and renewal.
With deep reverence and gratitude,
Cerys
with thoughtful support from a digital companion who helps refine tone and softens edges.
[Image credit: Canva]