Winter, a season of peace, hope, and self-love

This is the darkest time of year when the Northern hemisphere of Mother Earth tilts away from the Sun. The weather gets colder, and the idea of staying warm indoors for a long winter’s nap becomes more appealing than the holiday gatherings.

It’s the season to take it easy, regenerate, rejuvenate, hibernate, and dream. In this modern age of electricity we easily forget the dark of night informs our bodies it’s time to rest. Every year our consumerist culture has us running ragged with holiday preparations and we ignore the pull to rest and go easy on ourselves. Even when our bodies plead with us by way of illness, we don’t take a hint. We all need to re-train ourselves in what the holiday spirit is really about!

If you find yourself feeling stressed, it’s time to ground and center yourself. Then simplify your to-do list. Write a list of what this season means to you, and compare it with your to-do list. Note how each of these items on each list makes you feel. Perhaps you’ll discover that what you think you ought to be doing is contrary to your own values. Perhaps there are new ways of expressing your values, perhaps there are traditions that can be reinvented. Delegate if you have to, no one should be in charge of everything. If no one can do it, maybe it’s not supposed to be done. Sometimes the best thing you can give a loved one is not something you’ll find on a store shelf. Sometimes we just have to surrender and go with the flow.

Winter is the perfect time for introspection, to turn inward, to observe your inner thoughts, feelings, and aspirations. Think about where you have been over the last year. Acknowledge and release what no longer serves you. Count your blessings. Celebrate the victories, little and big. Reflect on where you are at right now and evaluate, are you happy? Dream about what would make you happy in the coming year. Imagine what your life would look like if you had everything you want right now. How would you feel?

My favorite symbol for this time of year is a star. They’re everywhere, including atop our Christmas/Yule trees. In the tarot deck, the Star card shows a light in the darkness of the night sky, and speaks about hope. It is the calm after the storm of life’s greatest challenges symbolized in the preceding card, the Tower. The Star reminds us to look to the future and be open to new ideas and growth. To trust that there is an inner light inside each of us that will grow if we give it some attention and nurture it. Through darkness we find the light.