MONTHLY MUSINGS...
MESSAGE FOR JANUARY
THE MESSAGES OF WINTER
On a stormy winter day I like to watch the snow fall and swirl around. As snow drifts around objects it makes some beautiful and wonderful looking patterns, swirls, and wave-like formations. A fluffy coat of snow takes the hardness from objects and structures, and gives them a softer, more pleasing appearance. Yes, heavy snow and blowing snow do hamper travel, but we all need a rest sometimes and a stormy winter day is the perfect time. So next time there is snow, drifting snow, and blowing snow take a rest and watch how Nature transforms the landscape, forget your worries, pamper yourself, relax and do "nothing". Doing "nothing" does not mean you are lazy; you are actually recharging and replenishing your energies on all levels...physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, which balances and harmonizes your whole being helping to making you happier and healthier.
In our western society winter is generally not well liked. The cold, ice, snow, freezing rain, and ice pellets of a Maritime winter cause a lot of problems for transportation and even walking at times. You need to put on a lot more warm clothes and bundle up when going outside...this is not Southern California, though going into a lot of clothing stores you would never know that! The driveway and pathways need to shovelled for ease of getting around, and the snow and ice need to be brushed off the car. All these things take extra time to do properly. So you need to make a choice; take a little extra time to get ready for travel, or rush these activities and become stressed, worried, possibly angry and arrive late anyway, or worse have an accident. The lesson here is that you need to slow down, take the time, and prepare to face the rigours of winter. This is the message of the Turtle who moves at a slow steady pace, arriving at its destination when the time is right, and of the Bear gathering to prepare for its winter hibernation.
From the point of view of Nature (which includes humans) winter is very important. Winter is a time of darkness and rest when the energies of growth go into the dark soil. Spiritually you can do this by going within yourself to your inner darkness, using deep relaxation or meditation and plant the seeds of what you would like to happen in your lives over the coming new year. In this way you can co-create with the spirits who, what, and where you wish to be in the future. However, to manifest these dreams and ideas you need to listen to the messages from the spirits, your intuition, and have faith that they will come to fruition. Then once your dreams and ideas are clearly illuminated within yourself (like the sun rising slowly in the sky between the winter solstice and the spring equinox), bring them out into the Light, thus beginning a time of new spiritual growth and new beginnings for yourself. Another important point is to share your new knowledge with others so they can also heal themselves; working in service to yourself and others to co-create a "new world".