A Season of Renewal
Hello Dear Ones!
Before I dive in, I have two bits of housekeeping to share:
This is my last writing of the year. I am going into restorative time for next two weeks. You will see me in your inbox about a week after New Year’s Day.
I have lots of plans for 2025. One that has been on my mind, and that I am taking seriously, is to move my writing to a different platform. This platform is called Substack. (there are other places too, but this one calls to me). This is a place where serious writers write and generate community conversation around their writing. Substack is place where I can publish my writing, reach a greater audience, explore myself more richly as a writer… and it’s a place where we can have a group dialog about the concepts in my writing, all in a private dedicated space (if you so choose). I will keep you updated as I move toward this.
Ok so off we go! Here is: A Season of Renewal.
Every year I write about winter, the concept of “wintering”, and about rest. As polar opposite of summer, winter is THE time of going inward. (Summer is big, expansive, outward movement and gestures, winter is a “going inward” and “becoming quiet” gesture). I think I write about this every year because I personally need a reminder every year. Maybe you do too.
We live in a culture that rewards us for doing. “Just keep going, keep doing, keep pushing… and you will be successful.” That is the flavor of our culture. Winter stands in sharp rebellion against this. Winter is all about renewal. Rest, restoration, introspection, contemplation… all for the sake of strengthening us, maturing us, making us more wise, and then preparing us for the big surging outward energy of spring and summer.
Renewal. I love this word. It feels like purposeful rest. Can you imagine investing in rest and quiet (mind and body), in order to experience greater understanding of yourself? (and maybe to even have some AHA moments?). Can you imagine resting and delighting in the deliciousness of quiet time, so that you can grow and mature and become wiser? Can you imagine investing in yourself by tuning in and listening to the whispers of your heart? And can you imagine taking the time to cook and savor deeply nourishing meals for yourself and your family?
Winter is also traditionally the time of story-telling. It is a time of leaning into the stories of ourselves and our people, connecting with our ancestors, connecting into a shared body of wisdom.
In other words, winter is a time of creating greater connections, strengthening our village, and profound inner growth.
Imagine that you have spent your winter season investing in renewal. Just picture this for a moment. Who would you be at the end of winter, with spring peeping though the snow? Who would you be in how you show up for yourself, your family, your community? Who would you be in your chosen work?
There is a feeling of who you are in this very moment. Stop and see if you can feel it. Right now. What is the feeling in this very moment of who you are? Take all the time you need to feel this. It might be a tired version or it might be an expansive version. Let it be the version that IS right now. Feel this feeling of you.
(Here is mine, just to give you something to work with. The feeling of me right now is: peaceful but tired. Headachy, a little bit too cold to be cozy, and too tired to make a fire. My eyes are a bit squinty and tired feeling. I feel happy to be writing. Happy to be alone in my thoughts. Joyful. And a bit contracted-feeling from the cold and the fatigue. I notice that I am not super expanded, and not gloomy. Just present, feeling my body, and happy.)
Ok so try again. How would you describe the feeling of you in this moment?
Now. What does this “feeling of you” want to say? What does she or he desire in this moment? What would feel like medicine, like magic, like renewal? If you were to lavish yourself with rest, with delight, with nutritive life choices… what would they be? What is this version of you desiring in the quest toward renewal?
I think the greatest tool we have in truly investing in renewal… is to listen to ourselves. Hear ourselves. Feel ourselves. Are you tired? Thirsty? Lonely? Are you excited and energetic? What do all these parts need as nourishment, support and balance? What would feel nutritive in your choices today?
Navigating winter means navigating ourselves. Being attuned to ourselves and our ever-changing needs… again and again and again. To truly make use of winter, we hear ourselves and then make choices grounded in our own renewal.
The world needs us to take this time, to renew and refresh ourselves (mind, body and spirit). The world needs us to be ourselves, our beautifully restored and tended selves. I cannot think of a greater healing for the world, or a more powerful revolution, than tired and over-extended humans going inward and doing the real work of nourishment and renewal.
You are so precious in our world. We need the truest version of you, as whole and rested and wise as possible. We need you so desperately. What can you do today to make this possible?
I am wishing you and your beloveds the happiest of holidays. See you in 2025!
In deep gratitude for everything in this sweet life,
Rebecca
* Disclaimer: This likely goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: Everything I write is for educational purposes only. Nothing I write or share can be deemed diagnostic or medical advice. Nothing I write or share can replace your own healthcare providers or your own internal knowing and wisdom. Period. Please seek tailored medical care and advice via your skilled healthcare team whenever you need it.
