Each season is really rich with its own unique sacred beauty and I found this quote from Llewellyn von Lee from his book Seasons of the Sacred.
He writes,
Winter is a season that draws us back to what is essential,
To the roots that sustain us.
Welcome to Grounded with Wendy.
I'm looking forward to diving in to what is sacred about winter with you.
In these cold dark winter days and nights,
Nature all around us becomes a little bit more still and quiet.
They're letting go of anything unessential.
From ladybugs to bears,
Many animals seek shelter or go underground to hibernate.
The only thing essential to them is rest.
In the plant kingdom,
Many perennials die all the way back and disappear,
Only to pop up again in spring.
And this cycle reminds me of a quote by Rumi,
And don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter.
It's quiet,
But the roots are down there,
Riotous.
I'm so curious,
Why are we humans so reluctant to rest,
To slow down,
Or to take a break?
Why do we call it indulgent to curl up with a book and read all afternoon?
Instead of my old thinking that's attached to rest as lazy or lacking productivity,
I've come to think of rest as a means of revival.
To rest means to literally cease doing.
And I kind of like that idea,
To welcome in,
Especially in this winter time.
It doesn't mean for us to stop completely,
Of course,
But it is a chance to recover,
Repair,
And refresh.
And I think we could all use a little bit of that.
In the world of music,
Rest is an interval of silence.
And to me,
That silence between the notes can turn a song from good to great.
It's really essential to the piece of music.
I'll admit that I sometimes have a hard time putting on the breaks.
After all,
The to-do list and wish list is really long.
But I'm reminded that we are the only species who negotiate sleep.
Think about that for a moment.
The natural world is resting in winter.
Why don't we follow the lead on this one?
Maybe it's more of a stop doing and start being.
I kind of like that idea.
Maybe it's not always resting,
But maybe it's just being.
At the time of this recording,
It's on the heels of a busy holiday season,
And it feels essential to be quiet and still.
The winter solstice and traditional holidays have passed now.
I was actually curious to know what solstice means.
What's its etymology?
Its roots are Latin,
The word sol meaning sun,
And sistere meaning to stand still.
It's a special time of shifting of the seasons,
The darkest days behind us and ushering light in upon us.
So this is the lesson winter shares with us,
To witness the animals,
Trees,
And plants slowing down,
Tucking in,
Being still,
Noticing,
Resting,
Caring for themselves.
What is this time of year asking you to pay attention to?
And this is the question we bring to our meditation.
If you'd like to,
Rest your gaze or close your eyes.
I invite you to rest one hand on your heart and one on your belly and just sit with your breath for a few moments.
Feeling the stillness that you have in your muscles,
But underneath it,
Your heart is beating and your breath is going.
Our roots,
Perhaps,
Our riotous roots,
Our breath and our heartbeat.
Know that in stillness,
Magic is happening underneath the surface.
Perhaps where you are,
There is snow.
Isn't the silence of snow so glorious?
Rest here,
Silently.
Know that in your stillness,
Answers can come.
New discoveries can come.
Or maybe nothing comes to you,
And that's a message as well.
Sometimes we just ache for permission to stop.
I'm here to say it's okay to stop and rest.
Maybe in the silence,
Some message comes to you.
Again,
If nothing comes,
That's okay too.
I'm wishing you an ounce or a bucket full of rest this winter and know that the light is growing with each day.
Thank you for joining me today.
May you rest well.
