We just marked the shortest, darkest day of the year. That may sound like a not-great thing—the trough or nadir of our year.

And yet, pagan traditions, including the Romans, looked at it as the Birthday of the Sun. The return of the Sun. From here on out, we’re brightening. We’re lightening. We’re awakening, like the morning sun of our basic goodness.

The way to honor this new turn around the sun—this New Year—is not to fight the dark, but to honor it, too, by taking time to slow down. To enjoy some contemplation: how are we doing? Can we make better friends with ourselves? Can we make some changes—not out of self-aggression, but out of appreciation for this short, precious human life?

Read more on the Buddhist Four Reminders, here.

To that end, this February and March, we’ll be gathering as an international Elephant community and writing our heart out. We’ll have the support of mentors, peers from dozens of countries, and the active participation of myself and Elephant’s editors, the ones you pay for when you subscribe to Elephant or open and read this newsletter.

It’s called Elephant Academy, and it’s a two-month writing program. It doesn’t take too much of your time, but it can be transformative for your life’s path, for your heart, for your purpose and morale in this new year.

If you’re so inspired to join us, the deadline is tonight at midnight to save $150 with code: writerscommunity.

You don’t need to be a writer. But as a human, you do need to find your voice. And it helps to write genuinely, not with an agenda, but with support. And we can’t write, unless we’re writing. We’ll help you get from thinking about it, to doing it, to getting it out there.

Join Elephant Academy by tonight.