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Herstory
The night can start out clear as the breath of the Earth moves gently near the surface, kissing the ground. Then the air becomes heavy as water droplets condense and knit a thick shroud of silver into a suspended, misty blanket. Deep valleys trap the air, luring it into their pockets and cooling its breezes until all hidden moisture is made visible. This is fog.
The land is covered by a thick impenetrable gray; the crowns of the tallest green pines emerge from a smoky dress of silver. All of our outward physical compasses are hidden or have become dim and unreachable in this eerie world. We can no longer rely on what we see to guide us, can no longer trust the physical world to provide a true map for our lives.
These bouts of clouding visit more frequently in late autumn and winter, a time of year when much of the world withdraws into shadow. The air grows thicker, surrounding plant life retreats to the Otherworld until the return of Persephone with the spring. Humans and animals withdraw to their burrows to watch the terrain altered by ice, snow, and wind. The dampness is so thick in the wind it develops a body of its own, hovering in a state of suspended animation in a foggy haze, instead of falling to the ground as rain or snow.
An unstable atmosphere causes air currents to rise until fog clouds form, at first manifesting as a transparent mist. Tiny molecules of water build upon one another, forming large, heavy droplets, condensing the mist into fog. Advection fog is an air mass that moves over a cold surface and is then chilled to materialize the smoky clouds. Light is scattered, we are encapsulated in the fog’s dewy mantle and our vision is hindered.
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Meditation & Participation
There are many different types of fog that may manifest in our emotional landscape. We may meet an unforeseen challenge and slow down. If we become stuck, the fog surrounds us and clings to our limbs, haunting us regardless of where we roam. We may befall the fog-lands when faced with a perilous mountain we dare not climb.
There is a time in everyone’s life when we are met by circumstances or events that disarm us. We walk forward only to discover that we have become mired in the sludge, with a rising suspicion that we will never get free. As we struggle to move forward, the fog rolls in and encloses us. Sometimes we perceive its silent cat-like approach—the mist snaking through the hills, and know to ask for help. Sometimes, we are taken unaware, and by the time we lift our heads from our plight, we can no longer make out the resolution. Sometimes we refuse to shout for help even as we find ourselves sinking deeper under the burden of our trials.
We are in danger of losing our power to outside forces when our emotional or physical environments become unstable, creating tension between our inner and outer worlds. This may be caused by a sudden and drastic change in the topography of our lives, a harsh or uncomfortable collision with others, or panicked divergence, in which we flee from one another and our conflicts, avoiding elucidation.
We don’t always keep our minds, spirits, and arms open when we discover dissimilarities or divergent perspectives with one another. We sweep toward those we perceive as our opposition to collide like warm and cold weather fronts, thus creating a miasma that leads only to division and disconnect. Sometimes this collision is more subtle: we may simply brush-up against the unknown and unfamiliar, like cold air that curls above a warm body of water and releases a wispy thread of steam as they meet.
Ste. Unwanted Clouding wishes to remind us that not all fog is blinding or isolating. It may surround us in loving intention, removing the distractions of the outer world so that we may delve deeper into the inner. Even when dense vapors surround us, dulling our senses and luring us into slumber, it may be a sign that we need to rest, that our focus has been scattered to the four winds, our energy directed everywhere but at ourselves or a pressing concern. Sometimes the fog hears our call for help, and answers this prayer by swathing us in a cloak to slow our movement. At these times, it is asking us to stop and listen, to face our fears, our hurt, our anger, our grief, and sit with them. The only way out is to keep walking, one foot in front of the other, on the path through our darkest emotions. Do not fear what the fog has to reveal to you, as it spills its secrets across the hills to weave about the trees, calling us to enter the veil.
The most important step is to observe the mists around you and know why they have manifested in your life at this time. What are you working through in your own cave of fog? Are you using the fog to give you shelter, or to dim your view of what you must face? If your fog provides you with protection, why do you currently need this shelter from the outer world? If you are avoiding insight into your quandary, take its power away now by claiming it and making the commitment to work through it. Climb the craggy mountain.
When the time is right, trust that you will know when to step into the sun and dispel any lingering fog. Your eyes may burn for a time, unused to the sunlight after living in the cave. Thank the fog for being your teacher, and tell it you will always welcome its lessons.
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