December is the month that whispers of endings and beginnings, of reflections and new dreams waiting to unfold.
It’s a time for wintering.
What do I mean by wintering?
👉 Does it mean doing nothing, just lazying around?
👉 Does it mean you cut yourself off from the world?
👉 Do you hibernate like a bear?
👉 Does it mean pining for warmer climates or the first signs of spring?
It could mean some or all of the above.
For me, wintering means slowing down and giving myself time to pause and reflect. It means reviewing the past year and sorting out what I want to leave behind and what I will take into the new year.
For many, this past year was fraught with challenges. Some were personal, some related to family and friends, and others were external. Many of these challenges rearranged our world or our ideas of the world. It hasn’t been a particularly easy year.
Rest and reflection are the central themes of wintering. It is a time for the body to replenish the energy used during the active spring and summer months. In moments of stillness on a dark winter day, a flicker of new ideas or creative endeavours may appear. Seeds that might germinate and sprout up in the spring.
With fewer hours of sunlight and brisk weather, one has the time to let hidden desires, new ideas and plans surface.
Winter is also a time of connection to everything meaningful: friends, family, art, culture, nature, our body and spirit.
Wintering is a deep connection to the cycles of nature. Those of us who grew up in the Northern Hemisphere have roots in these cycles of nature. We are connected to the spruce, pine and tamarack trees, deer, elk, moose, bears, beavers, lakes and rivers, mountains, hills and flatlands—this connection flows through our cells. Nature guides us to slow down like the plants and animals around us. We can feel it in our body, that gentle pull to rest.
I spent many years away from winter, and although it can be harsh, bitterly cold, and dark, I have come to appreciate winter’s place in my life. I enjoy my early morning walks on a field of freshly fallen snow surrounded by stillness in the hours before the city awakens.
I like the feeling of being alive when walking on a cold, crisp day. The cold invigorates my sense of aliveness.
Oh Yes, there are things I don’t like.
😬 Getting into a cold car,
😬 the fierce winter winds,
😬 icy roads and sidewalks,
and wild drivers.
December also has many delights. The Winter Solstice is a special time, for although it is the darkest time of the year in the North, it also brings with it the lengthening of daylight to nourish our inner light.
There is also the Christmas season 🎄, with its festive lights, family gatherings, children’s excitement, memories and a feeling of joy.
December heralds in the season of wintering. Encouraging us to slow down, recharge and refresh our body and our spirit.
Here are two poems to help you reflect.
WELCOME DECEMBER!
It’s an invitation to be still.
To sit in silence
Allowing thoughts to surface.
Reviewing the months that have come and gone.
Keeping what nourishes and delights.
Letting go of what no longer serves your deepest self.
A time to restore and refresh your energy,
to dream dreams of a new way of living for all.
To open to the possibility of a new world.
A new world based on love, compassion, community
and respect for all of creation.
Be still, my friend, and dream a new world into being.
Carolynne 💖
THE OLD THREADS ARE UNRAVELING
The old threads are unraveling,
Get your needles ready.
We are stitching a new quilt
of Humanity.
Bring your old t-shirts,
worn out jeans, scarves,
antique gowns, aprons,
old pockets of plenty
who have held Earth’s treasures,
stones, feathers, leaves,
love notes on paper.
Each stitch
A mindful meditation.
Each piece of material
A story.
The more colour the better,
so call in the Tribes.
Threads of browns, whites,
reds, oranges
Women from all nations
start stitching.
Let’s recycle the hate, the abuse,
the fear, the judgment.
Turn it over, wash it clean,
ring it out to dry.
It’s a revolution
of recycled wears.
Threads of greens, blues, purples
Colourful threads
of peace, kindness,
respect, compassion
are being stitched
from one continent to the next
over forests, oceans, mountains.
The work is hard
Your fingers may bleed.
But each cloth stitched together
Brings together a community.
A world, our future world
Under one colourful quilt.
The new quilt of humanity.
© Julia Myers
Happy Holidays!