December 1, 2025
—
Dear friends,
As we move through another year marked by profound transitions—personal, societal, and ecological—I find myself reflecting on a simple truth that both ancient wisdom and modern science now affirm: We are rhythmic beings living in a rhythmic universe. And increasingly, our health, our communities, and even our collective future depend on whether we can realign with those rhythms.
Today, many of us worldwide are living out of sync. Chronic inflammation, sleep disruption, rising rates of depression, metabolic illness, and burnout have become so common that we’ve almost normalized them. Scientists now point not only to diet, stress, and toxins, but also to something subtler: our disconnection from natural light and darkness, the very cues that govern our circadian rhythms. As the work of Nova Scholar George Brainard and the storytelling of Nova Media Fellow Rowan Jacobsen have highlighted, artificial light at night, hours spent indoors, and flattened day–night cycles send weaker signals to our brains and bodies, undermining the healing processes that unfold each night.
Yet long before the term “circadian alignment” entered the wellness lexicon, cultures across the world honored the dance of light and darkness. The Winter Solstice—celebrated in Norse, Celtic, Egyptian, Roman, and countless other traditions—marks the yearly rebirth of light and life. These stories remind us that cycles of rest and renewal are not obstacles to progress; they are the source of it.
As my training in Traditional Chinese Medicine clarified for me, well-being emerges when we harmonize with the rhythms of day and night, of Yin and Yang, of the shifting seasons. These ancient insights, once seen as peripheral, now echo what neuroscience, chronobiology, and behavioral medicine are revealing: Healing is relational and rhythmic.
At Nova’s Annual Meeting, we spoke about thresholds—those potent moments between what has been and what might yet be. Thresholds invite us to pause, to listen deeply, and to reconnect: with ourselves, with each other, and with the living world. They invite us to imagine new possibilities and to recognize that transition is not merely a passage, but a creative opening.
We also named the cultural contradictions we face. We crave reconnection, yet spend more time than ever in digital spaces. We long for belonging, yet many systems still default to division and domination over care and collaboration.
These tensions point to a larger need—not just for new tools, but for a new paradigm.
This is the work we are doing at Nova, intentionally weaving diverse perspectives, disciplines, and cultures so that new insights can emerge. We are building the bridges that allow biomedical science to converse with traditional healing systems, ecology with psychology, mythology with complexity science, and personal stories with systems innovation.
We do this because the challenges of our time—climate disruption, chronic disease, isolation, polarization—cannot be solved from a single perspective. They require co-creation, not competition; regenerative relationships, not extractive ones; new narratives rooted in connection rather than fragmentation.
Across our programs this year, we have pushed the boundaries of understanding about health and flourishing by:
- Supporting journalists to illuminate the importance of water resources and food security, connectedness to land and nature, sunlight, noise, the built environment;
- Facilitating transformative dialogue among thought leaders across sectors through our online Campfires, our annual conference and our in-person gatherings;
- Impacting health policy and practice across the lifespan through the work of Scholars Diana Fishbein and Christina Bethell that highlights positive childhood experiences and practical initiatives to uplift children;
- Welcoming our newest Scholar, Hannah Gosnell, to explore intentional, regenerative, and values-driven approaches to food systems;
- Creating a Center for Justice and Mental Well-Being to impact policy and practice on all aspects of justice that affect flourishing, including social, economic, racial, and criminal, as well as food, climate, environmental, epistemic, and organizational justice; and
- Establishing a Center for Planetary Consciousness and Global Flourishing that fosters communities and collaborative work committed to shifting culture—from domination to one of healing relationships and mutual uplifting.
Above all, we have continued to explore how humanity might step into a more harmonious rhythm with the Earth—one marked by complexity, creativity, and deep listening.
As we approach the solstice, I am reminded that even in the darkest moments of the year, the return of light is already underway. The same is true now: Across our network, I see signs of renewal, innovation, and awakening. You—our supporters, partners, and allies—are helping to illuminate a path toward a healthier, more connected world.
Thank you for standing with us. Thank you for believing in a future where science is both rigorous and imaginative, where diverse voices shape collective solutions, and where healing extends from individual bodies to entire communities and ecosystems.
The door to this new chapter is open. We invite you to step through it with us.
With gratitude,
Professor Brian Berman, MD
President and Founder, Nova Institute for Health
Professor Emeritus, Family and Community Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine
