In the Flow with Healing Waters

I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately, some days I feel it is too long, too dark, too cold, too blah. Don’t get me wrong, there are days that I enjoy it very much when the sun is out, the temperature is mild and I can be outdoors doing something I enjoy. I guess I am a fair weather winter fan! The conditions have to be just right for me to be happy with winter.

But there are a lot of days where the conditions are just not right. Winter comes every year whether I like it or not and perhaps I need to change my perspective around it so I will appreciate it more. I started doing a little digging around the subject.

The winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is from December 21 through
March 20. At this time we are experiencing the longest and darkest nights of the year and the shortest days with the least amount of daylight. The dark triumphs over the light but it also signifies a turning point, not just in nature but within ourselves.

In winter everything lies dormant. It is a sacred time of rest and reflection. The energy of winter is that of going within. How often do we allow ourselves to really go within? Why do we spend so much time suppressing and hiding our darkness? When negative emotions come up and we feel them they’re inconvenient, uncomfortable or worse we make ourselves wrong for feeling them. The key is not in letting darkness overwhelm our lives and thoughts but in understanding that darkness can be one of the greatest catalysts for personal growth and transformation.

By allowing ourselves to feel our emotions and experience our own darkness it can bring awareness and new growth. Allow your feelings to guide you because your feelings are your truth.

Winter solstice is the great stillness before the sun’s strength builds and days grow longer. It can be a time to rest and reflect. Winter solstice is one of the most powerful points of the year as the axis of the Earth pauses, shifts and moves in the opposite direction (pause and think about that, amazing). For three days around the solstice points we experience the power of the stand still point and the shift of direction. The sun standing still is a powerful metaphor for the energy available to us to change the direction of our lives with intention and build on this energy as we enter the coming year.

For today let yourself rest in the peacefulness of winter knowing the changing of the season and return to brighter days lie ahead. Don’t pressure yourself to make changes right now, let the energies of new life build slowly within you and by spring you’ll be bursting with new energy and ideas. This is the nature of things, the cycle of rhythms of personal growth and change as you consistently nurture yourself with compassion and allowing for rest and reflection.

So instead of feeling guilty or lazy because I’m going to bed earlier these days or not completing everything on my to-do list, I’m shifting my energy to self care and feeling good about it. With busy schedules and hectic lives we cannot expect our bodies to keep up without giving it the time and rest it needs.

Resting in the flow,

Teresa