Night of Kupala, Sowilo, and the Courage to Carry the Light
By Anna Biela 22/06.2026
This weekend, I spent time in a circle of women who gathered to honor the Night of Kupala.
We came together around the fire, sharing stories, wisdom, laughter, and presence. There was something ancient in the experience—something that reminded me that long before modern life became so loud, human beings gathered in circles to remember who they were.
During one of the ceremonies, I asked a simple question:
What is my potential?
The answer came in the form of the rune Sowilo (Sigel)—the rune of the Sun, illumination, truth, and victory through light.
At first, I simply appreciated the beauty of the symbol.
But the more I sat with it, the more I realized that its message was much deeper than I initially understood.
Sowilo is light.
Not merely physical sunlight, but the light that reveals.
The light that illuminates what was hidden.
The light that allows us to see clearly.
And suddenly I saw how beautifully this symbolism connects two worlds that many people consider separate: Slavic spirituality and Christianity.
Both speak the language of light.
In Slavic tradition, fire is sacred. It purifies, transforms, and illuminates.
In Christianity, God is often described through the language of light. Jesus is called the Light of the World. The Holy Spirit is described as a living presence that guides, inspires, and brings life.
At their deepest level, both traditions point toward the same mystery.
What is God if not Truth?
What is God if not Goodness?
What is God if not Love?
And what better symbol exists for truth, goodness, and love than light itself?
Light reveals.
Light guides.
Light makes visible what was hidden.
The more I reflected on Sowilo, the more I understood that the rune was not showing me power.
It was showing me purpose.
And then another message arrived.
One simple word:
Courage.
Not power.
Not certainty.
Not control.
Courage.
Because courage is required when we begin speaking about experiences that many people dismiss or ridicule.
For much of my life, I questioned my own experiences.
I wondered whether what I sensed was real.
Whether spiritual realities were merely stories, myths, or religious dogma.
Whether I was imagining things that others could not see.
But after nearly three decades of searching, questioning, and experiencing, I can no longer deny what I have encountered.
I understand that many people will interpret these experiences differently.
Some will see them psychologically.
Some symbolically.
Some scientifically.
And that is their right.
But my own experience has taught me that reality is far more mysterious and multidimensional than we often assume.
I believe there are forces moving through creation that are not limited to the physical world.
I believe there are energies and intelligences that influence human life.
And I believe that the spiritual dimension is just as real as the material one, even if it is less obvious to our physical senses.
Most of us have been trained to trust only what we can measure.
Yet human beings have always sensed that there is more.
A subtle layer of existence.
A spiritual current moving beneath the surface of ordinary life.
Some call it spirit.
Some call it consciousness.
Some call it energy.
Some call it God.
The names matter less than the experience itself.
Because whether we acknowledge it or not, we all encounter darkness.
We encounter it through fear.
Through suffering.
Through illness.
Through grief.
Through hatred.
Through violence.
Through war.
Through everything that destroys life and separates us from love.
Darkness is not merely an abstract concept.
It is something every human being experiences.
And yet the lesson of light is not fear.
The lesson of light is courage.
Light does not need to become darkness in order to fight darkness.
It simply shines.
And when light shines, what was hidden becomes visible.
What was confused becomes clear.
What was distorted can be seen for what it truly is.
This is what I believe Sowilo was showing me.
Not a path of domination.
Not a path of power.
But a path of illumination.
A path of truth.
A path of becoming transparent to the light itself.
Perhaps this is why courage was the second message.
Because carrying light requires courage.
Speaking truth requires courage.
Choosing love in a world that often chooses fear requires courage.
Remaining open-hearted after pain requires courage.
Trusting what your soul knows, even when others do not understand, requires courage.
As I sat by the fire during the Night of Kupala, surrounded by women sharing their wisdom, strength, and stories, I realized that the greatest gift of the weekend was not the rune itself.
It was the reminder that light is not something we seek outside ourselves.
It is something we are called to embody.
And perhaps that is the true meaning of Sowilo.
To become a bearer of light.
To reveal truth.
To choose love over fear.
To illuminate rather than condemn.
And to have the courage to let that light shine, even when the path ahead is not yet fully visible.
Because sometimes the smallest flame is enough to guide the way.
