Let’s think about this in the natural realm of nature. It’s a time when nature goes dormant. It rests, it prepares to regenerate. We all know the huge benefits to life when the natural and spiritual align, so I ask you, doesn’t it make sense that this time of year is a time of reflection and peace? We speak of giving and kindness but how is that possible when we’re running and panting and dreading so much of what we are making ourselves do?
We enter January making resolutions and determinations for the New Year after depleting ourselves with no real reflection or listening to our souls. We simply step into more traditions of resolutions from a place of “should” when the truth is we most likely don’t even know what we really want or actually need.
December is such a rich time for connecting with friends and family with love, for healing places that were injured, and for replenishing the places that have been starved.
Maybe you have spent the last few weeks in the man-made frenzy even if you made efforts not to. Maybe you let the pull of expectations entice you out of the sweet peace of the season. Know that this is OKAY.
Right now, you can determine that what doesn’t get done doesn’t get done. What would bring you the Silent Night you need? I’m not talking about a literal, single silent night. I’m talking about what would bring joy to your experience of the season and the coming weeks of walking into the New Year? A long hot bubble bath? A no-glitter, no-glamor, intimate dinner with your mate or friends? A glass of wine and a good book? Reaching out to someone who is hurting or in need? Watching a Christmas movie in your PJ’s? Taking the time to bake your favorite Christmas treat?
I must fess up, one of my favorite things is baking sugar cookies for Christmas. My entire family loves them dearly and always ask if they will get their cookies this year. But I’m guilty of talking myself out of it with excuses like, I don’t have time, or it’s too much effort.
Now, cookies are just one example, but aren’t these things the magic of Christmas? I don’t remember a lot of gifts I receive, but I remember what someone’s kindness felt like, the carolers that are so rare nowadays, the family game night which produced black-mail worthy video, the movie with a friend that brought me to tears. And I certainly remember the pleasure of hearing ooo’s and ahhh’s from those biting into my special sugar cookies.
It’s not the traditions or activities of the season that’s the problem, it’s the way we approach them, whether we do them out of have-to / supposed-to or because it really spreads magic.
You still have a few days to bring a little magic to the season, and to walk into the New Year with a different perspective, reflecting back on your accomplishments for the year. Consider what went well, and be proud of making it through some tough times in lieu of self-doubt.
It’s all okay, it’s time to reset instead of going against the natural world. It’s time to breathe, gather the wisdom you have gained and begin weaving it into the next year.
This will open up space for new energies for the coming year. And did you know that ancient wisdom considers January, or that time of season as the time for dreaming? Something we do when we rest?
I believe finding the appropriate balance for our own lives is a matter of using this time for retaining and restoring our energy instead of depleting it.
What if you gave yourself permission to slow down, tap into your wisdom, and listen to what you really dare to dream for the coming year, instead of ending your year with all the superficial should’s dragging you into another year of defeat?
I dare say that you will see, hear, taste, and feel the magic.
I for one am going to spend the time I normally spend complaining about all my defeats and the cold weather I hate, hibernating and nourishing my dreams.
Restoring and listening,
Ruthie Lewis
December 2016 | ElementsForAHealthierLife.com | 31