How are you faring this winter? Do you too feel pulled to the earth, core grounding, rooted and immovable in a way that is hard to describe? Do you too feel like cleaning your calendar for the next seven days and just staying in bed, watching shows, reading books, all while enjoying the feeling of warm beverages touching your lips and soups and stews in your belly? Do you too seek to simplify your life and feel that this month is especially full?
January to me is the month where the energy and feeling of deep winter starts to steep into my bones and my soul craves to rest. No I don’t want to go out to dinner, no I don’t want to travel, no, I don’t want to do much of anything right now aside from staying in my bed, getting up to make stews, enjoying my warm meal, and returning to bed.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with stifling feelings of inadequacy that may rise to the surface as there is a push in our society to do, achieve, do more, and do again. Right now, the best decision you can make is tap into your own body including your lived experiences and see what your body really needs. I find for me, dehydration is quite common during this time and I need to increase my intake of warm water to find my center. We are mammals after all and, we do need more rest during this time.
In the animal world, mating season has begun and I enjoy slow walks to the waters edge to quietly observe other animals in a behavior that is only characteristically seen one time per year. Some of their dances fill me up with silent laughter as the females barely take notice of the males extravagant courtship attempts and wander about, or a male tries to poach a female who has already accepted an invitation while the triumphant male screeches in dismay.
I still feel like a half awoken bear, meandering through life with trepidation. That I may run out of steam and yet, I seem to be doing alright. I go to bed early, I make my yogurt and nourishing meals with my own hands before noontime, and I avoid restaurant food as I feel much more whole with meals made from my two hands.
As I have learned through experience, there is always time to unlearn what is no longer working for you and invite a change in pace. I invite you to do the same if something is no longer working for your greater good in life anymore. Sometimes drifting away from something is your acknowledging the pursuit of what does, and that is absolutely okay.
How are you faring this winter? Do you feel in alignment or out of alignment?
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Written under a Capricorn sun and a Virgo moon feeling like all my earthiness is doing me quite well in this season of anchoring and release.
Currently reading
Wintering by Katherine May
Bittersweet by Susan Cain
An American in Provence by Jamie Beck
Listening to
World music galore and music to dance to so that my mood doesn’t crash into a heavy depression.