Wednesday, March 11, 2015

To Sleep

I've mentioned before the inherent spiritual nature (to me) of dawn and dusk. But the middle of the night has a quiet sacredness to it as well. But you can't be up for everything....

Some people can, though. There's a thing called bimodal sleeping, where people have a first and second period of sleep, with an hour or two of wakefulness in the middle. My dad sleeps this way, as does a friend of mine; they wake up naturally, have a snack, do some yoga, watch a little tv, and back to sleep again.

I do not sleep this way. I lie around until 4am watching YouTube vids until I manage to drift off. Falling asleep actually at night is something I'm not very good at. Which kind of sucks because - and you may know this - viewing dawn from the wrong side makes dawn a far less mystical experience. Dawn is thus something I get to experience only rarely. This is something I consider a shame.

So I read this. And I was intrigued. 

I love the idea of a rhythm to life, sleeping and waking, that changes as the season does. And I love candles. And, fortuitously, I live next to a beekeeper. I might actually be able to make my own wax candles. Saves on money!

I tried it last night. Lights went off at 9pm, about an hour after twilight. Red filters on all my screens (I use Twilight on Android and Flux on PC) and candles lit (right now, I'm going through my supply of scented candles people keep giving me. Apparently they can cause cancer so it is not a long-term plan). 

I ended up lying awake, in the dark, until 5am.

Tempted to give up? I am. But the appeal of waking early, sleeping early, having a special quiet time at night to stretch and read and meditate, is so great that I want to give it a go. To connect in this way with the ancestors. And I love candlelight.

Plus, I have fibromyalgia. Sleep issues and fatigue come with the territory; if this can help me feel more rested I am 100% eager to give it a go.

No screens tonight, if I can help it. Lights only in the bathroom (because I tried it by candlelight last night and it is impossible). Bring on The Night.