Myriad Colours © 2022 The contrast between these auburn-gold leaves and the milky snow blanketing them is the contrast between life and death. Even as the seasons turn to the winter solstice, life finds a way to shine in the dark: it is never truly lost.
Bleak Beauty © 2022 The silent mystery of this forested hill causes contemplation, a moment of quiet, considering the starkness of winter. What is portrayed as deathly and bleak can be repainted into a time of wonder and enigmas.
Sticks & Snow © 2022 How complex our world is; how many layers of life and living there are. We will never fully understand the paradoxes that encircle us - instead, I hope that we will find the chance to marvel at them, to revere their all-seeing unknowns.
Entering the den
When growing darkness tips the equilibrium of day and night and the winter solstice nears, prepare for a job of major housecleaning. Don’t worry, it won’t necessarily involve cleaning your house – rather, yourself.
That may sound odd. But your body is your house, your temple, your sanctuary. It’s your responsibility to take care of it.
In this blog post, though, I want to talk more about the internal stuff. Our mindsets, values, traumas, thoughts. As we enter the den of winter and prepare for hibernation, it’s intrinsically important to reevaluate what we’re taking into that sacred space, to burn down old beliefs and cultivate new ones. In this time of death and rebirth, reconsider: what is yours, and what isn’t? What serves you, and what doesn’t?
Just like the bear retreats into the cave, the chipmunk into the burrow, the fox into the lair, we retire into our own homes. It’s both a literal and metaphorical process. In the modern lifestyle, though, our lives don’t make time for this essential transition. We are constantly assailed with a go-go-go mentality; even criticized if it doesn’t seem that we’re doing enough, spending enough, working enough.
Slowing down is what this all comes back to. Slowing our heartbeats, our minds, our way of life. Even taking some deep breaths is enough.
I see winter as a time to dream, rest, and cultivate. I’ve personally been focusing on what I want to manifest, using my creativity and art to discover my intentions and let them unfold. When we enter the den, we leave this life for a time and arrive in another, a third plane where spirits and guides exist. In this mysterious place, we learn new ways of being, new ways of viewing the world. This is what we will have gained when we emerge from our sanctuaries in the spring.
This is the time of growing out roots and deepening our connection to the earth. Stay grounded and rooted, and as the winter solstice nears, stay strong in your truths. Know who you are. Nurture your intentions. Keep your eyes open to the manifestations and magic around you. And always keep in mind your den: what do you want to leave outside, and what do you want to take inside with you? What will you bring to the world when you re-emerge?