From the first recorded use of sundials by the Babylonians to the worship of Hemera, the ancient Greek goddess of the day, daylight has played a huge part in human cultural, political and scientific endeavours.
Many of us take the daylight for granted – its warmth, its beauty, its ability to promote growth and to nurture, and its helpful division between night and day. Sunlight nurtures plants and trees, which use it, along with carbon dioxide and water, to produce energy and in the process release oxygen. We breathe in that oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, which trees and plants use to kickstart the process all over again. This is an amazing cycle and connection between the elements, and none of it is possible without our sun. Life could simply not exist without this incredible star.
This ritual encourages you to stop and think about the powerful energy of the sun and to give deep gratitude for all it does for us.
Our sun helps us breathe, keeps us warm and provides a secure home for other living animals. But it turns out that it is also responsible for making us happy. Research on the way sunlight affects human beings shows that on sunny days people produce more serotonin (the chemical in the brain responsible for uplifting our mood) than on cloudy days.14
You don’t even need to be exposed to the sun’s rays to benefit from this increase in positivity, as it’s simply the way the sunlight interacts with our brain that causes this reaction. Science has also shown us that just 30 minutes of exposure to sunlight in the morning tells our body clocks to produce optimum amounts of melatonin – the chemical responsible for making us feel sleepy – at night.15 So, by the time the sun sets, we’re ready to get into our pyjamas.
It’s also well documented that exposure to sunlight improves our mood and provides us with much-needed vitamin D. This essential vitamin helps keep our muscles, bones and teeth healthy. Worryingly, it is estimated that vitamin D deficiency affects a significant chunk of the global population – around 1 billion people, a statistic that easily meets the criteria of a pandemic.16 A lack of vitamin D has also been linked with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), where our moods are affected adversely by the lack of sunlight. In addition, it now seems that lack of vitamin D may well contribute to depression.17
Our climate is very often the reason why some of us do not see enough sunshine, but there is evidence to suggest that the increasing use of technology could be a factor, too.18 Some have taken to getting artificial UV rays from sunbeds, but these carry their own significant health risks.
It seems likely that the solution to the SAD and vitamin D challenge lies simply in changing our mindset to increase our awareness of the sun and, additionally, engender a feeling of gratitude both for nature and in general, manifested by physical action on a daily basis.
My friend’s daughter, Shari, was in her third year of study at university and living back in university halls of residence. Shari was always chirpy and upbeat, but her mother was becoming increasingly concerned about her change of mood, which Shari had blamed on late nights and lack of sleep.
Halfway through her academic year, Shari started to feel really down and unwell. She was staying indoors for long periods of time writing assignments, she constantly felt unmotivated and extremely tired and could hardly keep her eyes open during lectures. She started oversleeping, grabbing junk food to fill her up quickly and upped her caffeine intake, hoping it would keep her awake. When her work began to suffer her tutor asked to see her and, after a long chat, Shari agreed to seek medical advice.
Her doctor ran some tests that suggested Shari was suffering from SAD and showed she was also low in vitamin D. Shari walked out of the surgery with advice about getting more natural sunlight and improving her nutrition.
Back at her flat Shari lay on her bed and looked at the neglected, wilted plant on her desk. She suddenly felt that the state of the plant was a reflection of how she was feeling inside. She felt compelled to move the plant (which she named Spiros Spider as it was a spider plant) onto her window sill, and then realized that she hadn’t opened her curtains in over five months! After discovering a whole array of horrors behind the curtains, such as mugs growing mould and dead spiders, Shari cleaned up the window sill. She then moved Spiros Spider there and gave it some water from an iridescent bottle, which she left next to it.
The following day, Shari woke up and saw a beautiful rainbow on her wall. The sunlight was reflecting through the curtains from the iridescent bottle like a sun catcher! Her plant had also undergone a complete transformation. She opened the curtains wide and the sunlight poured into her room, filling it with light. In that moment Shari’s appreciation of the sun and its effect on living things, including herself, was transformed. Her mood lifted and she felt energized by the sunlight and more eager to tackle the day ahead than she had been for a long time.
As well as opening her curtains first thing every day, Shari now makes a point of waking up early at least once a week to see the sunrise and makes sure she watches the sun set whenever possible. She takes every opportunity to get outdoors and walks or sits outside for at least 30 minutes daily and says she can “feel” the sun on even the cloudiest days.
This ritual needs to be performed in the morning for at least three minutes. Before opening the curtains, just take a moment to think about your day ahead. How many times have you been to the theatre and waited with great anticipation for the curtains to be drawn back and the play to start? With this in mind, what “play” do you want to see as the day ahead unfolds? Set your intention for the day or repeat an affirmation such as “Today I embody the light of the sun and reflect it in all that I do.”
As you set your intention, open the curtains. Allow the daylight (it doesn’t matter if it’s sunny or not) that streams in to gently wash over your body. Take a deep breath in and smile. Welcome all the lessons that the day is going to bring, knowing that the light that shines in is also within you and reflecting on everything around you.
In the evening as you go to close your curtains, take a moment to reflect upon your day and how it played out. You can write your morning intention in your back-to-nature journal and reflect on this at the end of the day.
Many people don’t like the thought that they can be seen by passers-by or neighbours. If this resonates with you, there are many options, such as privacy window film, which stops anyone seeing through the glass but still allows light to pass through. Blinds made out of a sheer fabric also allow light to shine through.
Remember, it is not safe to look at the sun directly but you can instead look at it indirectly, for example by observing the light dappling the plants and trees outside. The key here is to simply be aware of the sunlight.
Depending on where you live you might find that seeing the sun, particularly during winter months, can be a challenge. However, we all know the sun is always there, otherwise there would be no daylight. So, on a day when the sun isn’t visible, use your powers of imagination to conjure it up in your mind’s eye instead. A helpful visualization tip is to think about how the sky looks when you rise above it on a plane – once above the clouds the sun is always visible. You can also download a sunlight meditation from the internet to help you draw in that feeling of being in sunlight through visualization. Or there are some amazing products on the market that can help to bring plenty of light into your room, such as clocks that create a beautiful glow to mimick the sunrise and sunset.
Every morning, open your curtains completely and welcome in the light. Keep those curtains open during the day and light up your home. Take a moment to look at the light and how it’s reflecting on everything around you. Even on the darkest days seek out that chink of light and drink it in.
When you have completed this ritual, you may wish to add it to your life and do it daily to maximize its health-boosting benefits. Bring more light into your home by placing a sun-catcher in the window. Sun catchers are widely available online and come in many different shapes and sizes. Eat your breakfast in the sunniest part of your house or garden and enjoy your first meal of the day soaking up the light.
Also, think about channelling your own internal light into other gifts of nature through gratitude, which itself is a wonderful tonic that encourages a wider perspective on the world. Look around your garden or nearest green area, think about the trees and plants as they breathe in the carbon dioxide you breathe out. Think about that symbiotic relationship. Tell them how grateful you are for what they do.
Connecting to nature ritual: This ritual shows us how to take time out to reflect on the sun and show gratitude for everything that it does for us.
The theory: Scientists have proved that sunlight can have a hugely positive effect on our mood and behaviour, as well as affecting our physical wellbeing. Using this knowledge and changing our mindset to notice and show gratitude for the sun at its most energetic points – sunrise, noon and sunset – will increase our perception of our place in the world, give us much-needed vitamin D and allow the brain to produce mood-enhancing serotonin.
The practice: Imagine the most magical “play” when you open your curtains and place yourself in the brightest seat to observe any dramas that may unfold. Write down in your back-to-nature journal the insights that throwing open the curtains and letting in natural light have inspired in you.