Hello,
Dear soul.
My name is Kasey Sage,
And today we're going to talk about honoring our internal winters.
Ice crystals cling with delicate might to the resilient bark of juniper branches.
The typically pale stone blueberry clusters swell with each cold rainfall,
Turning a deep powdery sapphire.
Snow dances its intricately unique masterpiece upon the earth,
Bringing her rest and silence with its loving and artful expression of life.
The birdsong has silenced from the north,
And the critters have nestled into the earth for warmth.
This is winter.
Whether it be our literal earthly weather seasons or our internal cycle of being,
Winters can be a tough time for many of us.
Its harsh conditions arrive with a darkness that consumes us,
Offering only a continuous struggle to survive the frigid cold.
The bursting life of the vibrant summer seems to have dulled and died off,
Leaving almost nothing to celebrate in its place.
The abundance we once knew seemingly turns into lack,
And the feast of harvest season becomes famine.
The world seems barren of the things that make life beautiful,
That nourish us,
That feel comforting on our skin.
Winters are harsh and by very nature can bring pain.
It can feel as though you're staring into an overwhelming white void where your screams are muffled by the emptiness and dimly echoed back to you,
Alone.
Alone in the vastness,
Winter asks you to be still.
Winter is the time we're given the opportunity to surrender into the dull ache that lingers behind our hearts as we walk through our lives.
In our own internal winters,
Our personal winter cycles,
Our hearts become frozen with hunger pangs.
They yearn for the ease and joy they once felt,
For the warmth of the sun and the long days full of life.
Assuredly,
Summer is an easier season to walk through.
As winter approaches,
The full-bellied bear cubs trail their mama,
Trotting their way into the den,
Resorting to slumber to pass the cold winter months.
This notion appeals to many of us,
The chance to simply hide away instead of facing the cold of winter snow.
But each season we experience has a deep calling,
A story to share with the world.
Yes,
Even winter has a beautiful magic to bestow upon our fragile hearts.
She calls forth our darkness to remind us that it's okay to not always shine long and bright.
As the ice and snow melt in the spring,
The winter goddess grants Pachamama the gift of life,
The gift of her soul's thirst quenched,
Sacred water.
Water that blooms the summers into fruition and protects her own resources from catching ablaze.
Mother Earth does not resist winter as the snow approaches,
Rather she welcomes it with open arms,
For it is then that she can finally rest and rejuvenate from all of the hard work she's put forth whilst the sun burned strong and bright.
In this way,
Nature mirrors us to give us answers and guide us along our paths.
We too need our time to rest,
To go within and feel the silence of our own soul's snow-covered meadows,
To allow ourselves time to feel the familiar fear of how to make it out alive,
Each time reassured a smidgen more in the confidence of our own resilience.
Our winters bring our souls back to life.
So honor your winter,
Dear soul,
Even when the ground is frozen beneath your feet and the icy drought seems unceasing.
Your blessed water is being formed in this deep time of rest.
Through each winter you survive,
You'll come out equipped miraculously once more with deeper relationship to the cold and the purpose for which it comes.
You'll emerge brighter still with honed ability and sharpened skill.
And slowly but surely,
As you release resistance toward the discomfort of the harshest seasons of your life,
We can learn to honor them for the life-bearing gifts they bring.
We can begin instead to welcome them with gratitude when they come to offer us the rare solace of simply being,
Of resting,
When they offer us the time to turn inward and befriend the fruitful darkness we all carry within.
This too,
Dear soul,
Is for you.
Close your eyes and take a long slow inhale to the bottom of your lungs.
This vessel is your warm cozy den,
Dear soul.
This body,
Your shelter.
This breath,
Your warmth.
Your winter brings storms but it can also bring serenity,
Peace,
And calm.
The harshest seasons of your life are here to serve you.
They come with great love to bear if we can only see past our resistance to the ice.
If you're caught in a blizzard,
Know that you are being blessed immeasurably beyond your current comprehension.
That's how it always works in this life.
There is always a peaceful calm after the storm and the brightest rainbows to cut through the darkness.
The birds will sing again.
Your pain is your portal and the deafening silence your solace if only you can choose to surrender.
Intentionally lean into this pain,
To this emptiness,
To the harsh cold.
You were built for this,
Beloved.
Your gifts are being formed.
Delicate snowflake by snowflake and ice crystal by ice crystal.
It's okay to be afraid of your storms and the chaos that they bring,
But feeding them your fear only worsens their blow.
When the blizzards hit and you're lost for direction,
Breathe yourself home,
Dear soul.
Anchor yourself here into this body.
Feel the warmth of the life that flows into and out of your sacred lungs.
Place your hands on your heart and feel it beat steadily in your chest.
No matter what season you're in,
Your heart continues beating here,
Strongly undetermined,
Always gushing over with love for you,
The soul in which it functions to support.
The challenges seem monstrous sometimes,
But look for the magic,
My dear,
Because this is all for you.
How good does it feel to know you're always comforted with a steady heartbeat and a constant flow of life-giving breath?
Come home to yourself here,
Dear soul.
The winters bring your greatest gifts,
The very fabric necessary for life.
The storms will pass and your ease will return when the flowers begin to bloom and the days begin to grow long again.
For now,
Thank your winter for arriving.
Befriend its peaceful beauty and rest gently here in the comfort of your being.
Let us choose to harness the opportunity to reconnect with our seasons and mend the relationship with the cyclical world.
Each season is necessary,
Powerful,
And finite.
So joyful or challenging,
May we remember that each fleeting moment is precious and purposeful.
May we remember that this is all for us.
Inhale life with me,
Dear soul.
You are safe here.
You are loved here.
You are courageous and you are brave.
We're all taking the Arctic Plunge together because we are ready for the blessings that will follow.
