Taoism struggles against the cultural preference for the “light.” The Tao Te Ching, especially, champions the low, the dark. Darkness is an attribute of Tao (Way). In passage 21 (Legge translation), Tao is referred to thusly: “Profound it is, dark and obscure; Things’ essences all there endure.” Dusky, obscure, dark are all words used to describe Tao. So, why be afraid, if dark is Tao?
A Taoist would not be afraid of Winter Solstice. Nor would he/she celebrate it as the imminent return of the light. Rather, a Taoist would embrace the dark in and of itself, knowing that it is not permanent (nothing is in Tao) but that it is essential and, in its own way, beautiful.
