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Wintering
December 22, 2022
“Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible."
Katherine May
- Although winter is not everyone’s favorite season, it is one of mine. I enjoy the march of the seasons and am grateful to live where there are strong variances of weather through the year. I even like that my hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio sometimes experiences all four seasons within a single week!
- Some things I love about winter:
- The hush of snow blanketing the land.
- Snuggling with a loved one in a favorite big chair next to a toasty fire.
- Invigorating outdoor activities: gliding across a wintery landscape via sled, skis, or skates; and building snowmen, snow angels, or snow forts.
- Comfort foods like hearty soups and hot chocolate.
- Spectacular sunrises, sunsets, and midnight-blue skies.
- Longer evenings that stretch time for unhurried hobbies like crafting, reading a good book, watching movies, or enjoying music.
Those things I love about winter have to do with its physical characteristics. Yet winter also teaches us about the inner journey.
"Winter is a time of withdrawing from the world, maximizing scant resources, carrying out acts of brutal efficiency and vanishing from sight; but that’s where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible." ~ Katherine May
A crucible is a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development.
The human spirit needs silence and solitude, dormancy and rest. Winter enables us to learn more about ourselves - to slow down and reimagine our purpose in life. And in the resting and reimagining that occur within the great fires in our hearts, we are transformed.
So, welcome winter! Embrace her gifts of transformation, and weave into your everyday life the following self-care practices to ease the process.
So, welcome winter! Embrace her gifts of transformation, and weave into your everyday life the following self-care practices to ease the process.
Integrating self-care into everyday life
It’s the last thing we make time for—and the first thing we give up—when life makes demands on us. Yet self-care is essential to our personal well-being and our spiritual evolution. To enable new insights, and new ways of being, to unfold in our lives, we have to make time and room for them. Here are some tips to help you get started.
Just say no
Before adding any new self-care activities to your already-overbooked schedule, take out some of those time-wasters and energy-drainers (and we all have them!), to make room for the good stuff. Start by saying no to just one thing; it’ll feel so good you’ll start looking for more.
* Take the bus to work. * Cancel your lunch date with the office gossip. * Choose what you watch on TV, and when the program is over, immediately turn it off. * Set a timer for surfing the Internet. * Practice getting off the phone with people. “I’m really glad you called but I can’t talk.”
* Take the bus to work. * Cancel your lunch date with the office gossip. * Choose what you watch on TV, and when the program is over, immediately turn it off. * Set a timer for surfing the Internet. * Practice getting off the phone with people. “I’m really glad you called but I can’t talk.”
Standing date with self
This is a once-weekly, hour-long, solo date. Use it to nurture your physical, emotional, mental, creative, or spiritual self. It can be a recurring activity at the same day/time each week, or you can vary things. You do it alone. Write it in your date book in pen and schedule your other commitments around it. After just a few weeks, you will be hooked.
* Take a luxurious bath, with candles, scented oils, music, fluffy towels - the works. * Take a walk in your favorite park, or stroll through a museum or gallery. * Lay in a hammock, and maybe take a nap. * Listen to music. Sing along or dance to it. * Drink your favorite tea while you free-associate in your journal or doodle in your sketchbook.
* Take a luxurious bath, with candles, scented oils, music, fluffy towels - the works. * Take a walk in your favorite park, or stroll through a museum or gallery. * Lay in a hammock, and maybe take a nap. * Listen to music. Sing along or dance to it. * Drink your favorite tea while you free-associate in your journal or doodle in your sketchbook.
Morning check-in
Before you make your plans for the day, sit quietly, close your eyes, take a few relaxing breaths, and ask your higher self, “What is important for me to know today?” Pay attention to the first thing that comes into your awareness - it may be a symbol, a color, a word, a sound, a feeling, or an idea. Wait another minute to see if any other insights come. As you go about your day, you may find these same things surfacing in your physical environment in very interesting ways.
Other ways to transform yourself this winter
Inner Compass has several offerings that can support you in "wintering" this year. To mention just a few:
In our signature series of workshops, Spirit Speaks, you'll discover the joys of meeting and working with Spirit as you explore your own natural intuitive, psychic, and mediumistic abilities.
In Pranic Healing, you'll gain a deeper understanding of how prana works and plays a critical role in the health of your body, mind and emotions as you learn this advanced energy healing system.
And in Every Day Light, you'll explore the boundless possibilities of fulfilling your soul's plan for this lifetime in a unique program of self-discovery and growth.
As always, we hope you'll find among our offerings something you feel was created just for you.