Winter Silence

Running, running, and running some more to fulfill the obligations of the holiday season.  Each year a choice is made as to how you will spend your time during each season.  We all know how it feels being wholly wrapped up in the mindless action of buying presents, pasting on a happy smile and baking or decorating til we drop.

One of my students told me recently that she loves the holiday season because her natural exuberance for life is never questioned and she is received fully by those around her. What a lovely experience to have! On the other hand, how sad that she feels restricted during the rest of the year when others don’t want to receive her effusive joyfulness. Our culture continually demands that we follow the rules and often those rules are so well woven into our culture that we are unaware of following them.

Winter….a time for reflection, hibernation, rejuvenation. We all know that this is what winter is for. We are enamored with these images. Throughout the holiday season and into the New Year, the media plays on these emotionally filled images in advertising. Pulling us in to consume more, overdo excessively and continue to ignore our deeper nature that is calling us to retreat and go inside of ourselves.

 

 

 

 

 

STOP! Breathe for a moment and examine your motivations. Step outside and FEEL what winter is calling for you to do, and BE.

“Silent Night, Holy Night. All is calm. All is bright…” This well known song (without getting into the religious references) elicits feelings of winter. The quiet that descends during the rain or after the snow falls. The brightness of the sun reflecting off the snow. The candles (lights) that shine in the dark.

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some images to help you get started in feeling winter, deeply… inside your soul.

 

Take time each day throughout the rest of the year to absorb the peace and quiet that they offer. Feel the embrace of the winter as the arms of each tree reaches out to sustain you.

 

And, remember, when the New Year comes you can keep yourself in this lovely place of internal calm. Allow the incessant chatter of resolutions to die back. Fuel your New Year with the silence of a holy night.