Falling into Winter
How do we manage the descent into the dark belly of winter and the upcoming solstice?
Can you take any time to pause and drop into the unknown processes of your body. The dark, mysterious, gurgles and releases, the edge of knowing something is brewing, being processed, distilling your essences in the deep pools of your inner cauldron.
If we can let go, we are blindfolded, putting our hands out to touch the hewn rock of the tunnel around us, the whorls on our fingertips sense reading the walls, to know - in our body - we have support, this is the path and we are held as we take each step, not knowing where our feet might land.
If we can let go, into this deeply familiar but unknown darkness of ourselves then the tender, whispering dreams may touch us in our stillness - we cannot control the outcome. We will not know when inspiration comes, it will be in its own time, just like the natural imperative to grow. There has to be the trust whispered to us by the trees, ‘you too, will emerge with the sprouting of seeds that we have dropped amongst the bed of leaves that are rotting down with the remnants of this years dreams, giving you such good mulch to process through the long nights.’
Without that decay, from the fertile mass of what we need to let go of, there is no growth, no plans for the future.
This is what I have been sitting with, or rather it is noticing how I keep myself overstimulated so I miss the micro-windows, to let go and drop or even drip, into the cracks in my body and soul. This consistent hum in the background, the drive to do, moves me away from the edge of letting go.
My body stresses, I fry my nervous system as I find myself pulled into somone elses drive, or the computer and the drive to deliver, to write, to be out there on socials… why do we we call it social media? It’s not social, it’s anti-social as it takes me away from the threads of interactions that meet me in everyday, simple beauty.
The incredible social networks that are courting us, patiently waiting for our attention, look up, look down, look out… there is a leaf falling to Earth on the wind and it wants to share it’s dance with you. Take the inspiration of simple beauty and let it spark your connections.
It will bring you to trust in the next step into the unknown as we descend further into both our internal and external darkness of winter, amongst the chaos of life.
And remember the candles that burn brightly along the way, the beings that bring you inspiration and connection, the possibility of walking the landscape with a friend. The simplicity of a cup of tea and a hug, a pen put to paper, the touch of skin to bundles of love and fur. Gather these precious jewels close to you so you know, they support you in the darkness as well as the light filled days.