“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”― Edith Sitwell
We are in a time of year when it’s difficult to deny the presence of the darkness, as hard as we may try. The clocks fall back and the evenings draw in soon it will be dark at 4pm
So, here’s a different kind of winter approach. one that honours the Darkness as well as the light. There is many a night I have spent in total darkness just the flickering of a flame of the candles, during the winter months, the darkness softening and almost drawing out the wounds the pain allowing it all to breathe to be!!!
Winter, as the leaves drop from the trees and the vital sap is drawn into the core of the earth, all living things begin a process. Winter is a natural time to align with this inward journey. Just as night comes after day, so does the restful time of winter follow the active time of summer, healing and reinvigorating us through darkness and sleep.
Winter can be a time to reflect, write, rest, and practice. Then, in spring, when the earth softens and warms, we head out to explore the world and begin to manifest the visions of winter’s dreamtime. Obviously, we can’t all stop what we’re doing and hibernate all winter, but we can light candles; eat warm, soothing foods; and otherwise slow down and enjoy time spent cosy and close with ourselves and our loved ones of drawing inward and conserving resources.
Winter, with its natural push to draw inward, can provide a much-needed balance to the constant activity of the mind and the outward flow of attention. If daytime and summer are the phases of doing, night-time and winter represent the time for being.
In Norway, even though their days are shorter and their winters longer, the rates of seasonal affective disorder are not significantly higher than in the United States. Recent research suggests that the reasons for this might be cultural rather than physiological. People in Norway tend to enjoy getting cozy, drinking warm beverages, lighting fires, and being with friends and family, as well as skiing and spending time outdoors. Their culture celebrates the natural beauty of winter.
When we focus on the opportunities for balancing and healing that winter brings, we shine a light in the restful darkness of the season.
Take Time to Listen and Recharge: Listen to your body, and take time to replenish your reserves, which will be needed during the surges of spring. Winter is a time to recharge; so learn to listen—listen to what others have to say and listen to your heart speaking to you. This is a time of receiving, not doing. Be patient. • Keep a Journal: As winter is a time to go within, your inner being comes closer to the surface in winter. Keep a journal and record your feelings, thoughts, and dreams: donʼt analyse them, just record them.
Imagine that the ideas and images that have been planted and are germinating within you, as in a garden, will begin to sprout in the spring. Nurture these images of hope, but allow them to grow and develop within you quietly and naturally, just as plants grow.
A little bit of Magic - Journaling deep insights
As a starting place, take a moment to reflect on the year that’s been, the one that’s following its natural course and ending in darkness, this is something I have naturally done for years at this time, often sitting beside a fire watching the cast kettle slowing come to a boil, I often at this time like to spend a night or two within our families woodland, connecting to the season, moving consciously into the change. So What are the “points of darkness” you experienced this year? The very worst of times, the biggest challenges? What did you take from them? What did you learn from them? What can you apply as you move forwards? Let the dark take back to itself all the darkness in you so there’s nothing left but light. The light that needs no artificial or external influence . The Inner Light that has always been there. Feel yourself in this dark like a seed, that holds a spark of new life , safe full of so much promise and potential..