Have You Heard Winter's Whispers?
Thoughts on winter's gifts - they're not just Christmas presents!
Read on, or listen to me reading this here:
Thank you to everyone who sent me a message in response to my previous post (‘A personal update’).
If you haven’t read it, well the TL;DR summary is: I’ve re-joined the world of the workplace. I’m working three days a week in a university administrative role, and spending the remaining two days on my writing.
Now that my time isn’t completely my own any more, I’m finding that my daily simple connection practices feel even more sacred, tender and special to me.
Each morning I spend some time at my altar:
And this morning, as I lit my candle and whispered my morning prayer to invoke the presence of the sacred-divine, I felt the cocooning energy of winter inviting me to slow down and to travel mindfully towards the solstice.
It felt gentle. It felt nurturing. It felt healing.
I could feel it in my bones: the call to pause and reflect, to tend to my innermost needs and desires, and to honour the stillness of winter descending around me and within me.
For these are the gifts winter offers us, if we can but heed them.
Do you feel it too?
WINTERING
In the harsh bleakness of winter
May you remember
That your roots are nourished
By this fertile darkness
That your heart is held safe
In the cocoon of stillness
That your confusion is dispelled
By the frost-cold winds.
May you embrace this inner winter
Wrapped up cosily by the fireside of your soul
And embrace the opportunity
To rest and be renewed.
***
Winter is the darkest point of the year. It can feel bleak and hopeless. The branches are bare. Cold air often makes your teeth chatter and takes the breath away. Grey skies seem featureless and uninviting.
Yet while all seems barren above ground, deep in the soil seeds and plant roots are developing and growing, feeding the plant until warmer weather returns, ready to revivify and flourish when spring arrives.
Winter is a space between worlds. It’s the centre of the spiral of life. The end of the out-breath of the year where all is silent and still … before the inhale of spring comes, bringing rebirth, potential and new possibilities.
Winter’s energy invites you to tend to your interior landscape; to dive deep into your psyche so you can understand yourself better and heal from past experiences and hurts.
Winter invites you to quieten your outer life so you can focus your energy inwards and spend time with yourself, listening to what needs to be heard.
How would it be to welcome winter as an opportunity to nurture what is calling to be brought forth next in your life?
But don’t rush now. Allow yourself to pause… This is a process that needs space and time to unfold.
It asks for self-compassion and patience.
You are suspended in the fertile void, that space between death and rebirth. Time has stopped. Past, present and future co-exist.
It is not linear or logical. It has its own sacred timing that you cannot consciously control or rush. In these depths, let all else drop away. In this space all is possible.
This place has the capacity to offer renewal and rejuvenation. It offers opportunity for deep healing and personal growth.
But you will likely find this challenging.
Try to be kind to yourself if you find you’d rather reach for distractions than be with yourself. Go slowly. Tend to your needs, wants and desires. Comfort yourself with a hug. Treat yourself like a precious object… And know that you are certainly not alone if you find this difficult.
You may feel like you’re going around in circles. Especially if you’re dealing with emotional wounds from the past; you may find that you cannot believe something has come up again.
Remember that life is cyclic and while it seems as if you’re going around in circles you’re actually moving in spirals – in and out, in and out. Each spiral is a journey of descent and return. And each spiral is subtly different.
On one spiral down into the depths of your pain you learn a lesson which you bring out to the surface of your life, on the next spiral down you release something and return a little bit lighter and renewed.
There is a mystery to wintertime – it asks you to surrender to the darkness and be held in the void and to open to your soul’s whispers…
I believe that when winter calls and we are pulled down into the underworld it is because our soul can no longer let us ignore what is needing to be felt, asking to be processed or yearning to be expressed.
And all in good time you will rise, stronger from your experience, nourished by what you have learned, ready to return to the next springtime of your life. Clearer and wiser.
So I invite you, in this wintry underworld, to consider:
What is falling away within you and your life?
What are you ready to release and let die?
What seeds of new life are buried deep within, asking to be nurtured?
May you receive the blessings of winter: may you find the courage to release that which is ready to die and may you heed the wise whispers of your soul.
With much love,
Stella x
Today’s poem & thoughts on winter are adapted from my book I Am With You: Words of comfort and strength for difficult times.
Read on for a Christmas buying guide to my books…
Gift my books this Christmas
They’re available worldwide!
I Am With You
If you’re looking for a gift for a loved one going through a difficult time then I Am With You: Words of comfort & strength for difficult times could make a really thoughtful present.
‘This book feels like a dear friend being with me along the way.’
— Mary Lunnen, Coach & author of Your Compass Rose Speaks
I Am With You is a collection of poems and reflections to help you through difficult times when you’re struggling and feeling down.
💞Offering wise insight into the human heart and mind, I Am With You gently guides you to soothe your pain and find peace with your inner demons.
Read I Am With You and be guided on your healing journey towards greater peace, purpose and fulfilment.
Available from all the usual booksellers, worldwide.
Cycles of Belonging
If you’d love to find the perfect gift for a spiritual seeker in your life, then how about Cycles of Belonging: Honouring ourselves through the sacred cycles of life.
‘A beautiful book on flowing in rhythm with the sacred cycles of life.’
— Rebecca Campbell, Bestselling author of Rise Sister Rise
Discover ways to engage with the cycles of the breath, day, menstruation, the moon, the seasons and life for better emotional and mental wellbeing and to enhance your spiritual connection.
🌀It offers an embodied path for women to reclaim their inner wisdom, follow the callings of their soul, and come home to a profound sense of belonging to the cycles of life.
Cycles of Belonging takes the reader on a journey home to wholeness, rooted deeply in the truth of who you are and the magical web of life that connects us all.
Available from all the usual booksellers.
Whispers From Mother Earth
Seeking the perfect gift for a magical soul in your life? Then how about Whispers From Mother Earth? It would also be a lovely gift for someone who runs women’s circles or yoga / meditation groups.
‘A precious gem. Ideal to remember your own connection with Mother Earth and your cyclical wisdom.’
— Veronica Layunta-Maurel, The MindBody Reconnect
Whispers from Mother Earth is a collection of poems and prayers that are a potent tool for healing and transformation.
This book is for women who long to
🌙 Live in rhythm with the sun and the moon
🍃Feel connected to the divine in nature
🌹 Honour the divine feminine and Goddess in all Her forms
Available worldwide from Amazon.
Peace Lies Within
If you’re looking for a gift for a loved one who yearns for greater inner peace, then Peace Lies Within would make a beautifully thoughtful present.
‘This book offers a different perspective on living life with a greater sense of love, purpose and fulfilment.’
— Judi Craddock, Author of The Little Book of Body Confidence
Discover 108 practices, insights and inspirations to enable you to:
🧘🏼♀️Soothe your stress response using mindful body and breath techniques
😇 Feel balanced and calm by making friends with your emotions and mind
💗 Tune into the energy of your heart and soul to create meaningful connection
They are pathways to self-knowledge and self-acceptance, and greater compassion, inner peace and joy.
Bring these simple practices into your life and you will be amazed at your capacity to connect to the deep sense of serenity that lies within you.
Available from Amazon worldwide.