Are you resisting winter

Winter made quite the entrance last week with high winds, rain, sleet and snow on higher ground.  Leaves and branches were stripped from trees and the ground was covered in a thick layer of wet composting mulch. 

When the storm passed we wrapped up in hats and scarves and ventured out, bracing ourselves against the sudden drop in temperature to be met with the most amazing sight.  The air was so clear and crisp that we could see for miles and miles in every direction and the quality of the winter light was breathtaking.  My whole being felt zingy and I was infused with such gratitude for life.

Later as we curled up in front of the fire it occurred to me that the experience was such a perfect note from nature regarding how to do winter.

Winter is the time of Bear Medicine.  A time to withdraw and rest.  A time to shed whatever it is that we’ve outgrown and allow it to be composted.  A time to turn inwards and connect to our inner stores of wisdom and creativity.  A time to allow our connection to our essence to be replenished.  And a time to make peace with the dark, in ourselves and in the world.

Yet our modern world resists winter.  Instead of resting, houses are decorated, gifts are bought, Christmas shopping is done and parties are attended. This is followed by festivities for New Years Eve, and then another burst of energy is called on for the annual to do list (new years resolutions).  So many people emerge from the darkness of winter exhausted or sick, because they haven’t had a chance to rest.

But we need winter to strip away the old and provide the compost for new growth is spring.

So why do we resist it?

Because winter is the season of death.

And in our modern world we are death averse.

When I was doing my shamanic training I was told, “Learn how to die, because it’s in dying you become available for life.”

So how do you learn to die?

By being present with the uncomfortableness of all the mini deaths that life throws at you, so that you can metabolise and alchemise them.

What’s a mini death?

The end of:

• A relationship

• A job

• A life phase (moving into menopause for example)

• A belief or an identity that you’ve outgrown

• An addiction

• An old story about yourself (like ‘I’m not good enough’)

Death and winter bring us into the darkness of the void, and it’s in the void where new life, new ideas, new creativity and new relationships begin.  Without death there is no rebirth.  Without winter there is no spring.

So if you’re resisting death and winter I invite you to call on Bear and embrace its medicine.  Call Bear into your life and ask it;

• What needs to die?

• What do I need to release?

• For how long do I need to rest?”

And then when all your inner debris has been stripped away, snuggle in and allow bear to warm you and ask it the juiciest question of all;

“How do I taste life’s honey?”

Let me know what your Bear has to say!

Feeling challenged or overwhelmed? Reach out to me about a Soul Reading or a Shamanic Healing Session.