Winter Wind Calling- Honoring Our Cycles

Winter Wind Calling- Honoring our Cycles
Ah winter, a time for cozy blankets, a warm fire and oh yes my favorite, nice soft sweaters. I love the coziness of winter. Every winter I find myself going into hibernation mode. I find myself drifting away from the outside world and cocooning, waiting to see what emerges in the spring. What seeds do I wish to sow?
This winter has been a doozy. I often ask myself am I wasting time. Are there things that I have been ignoring that are at risk of leaping out of my grasp? My answer to this question in a big No! I have found that by nurturing my natural state of hibernation, (by the way, I believe I must carry a lot of bear energy), I grow, and each year I discover a deeper aspect of self. Each year, I emerge with a new energy, a new fire within and a new cauldron of delight in which to work my magic from, a new potion for creating self.
Life is cyclical. We all move in and out of cycles as we grow. Honoring each season, not only through ceremony but also honoring how we feel in each season is important to our development as individuals. In winter, I tend to become less active, I read more and study, taking in the nourishment of what I have learned. I seep in what has been composted over the past year and I decide what seeds I wish to plant in the spring. This has been a year of major transition for me. The seeds I wish to sow this year are awesome.
At times during this winter I have felt like such a slacker. Lazy would be another good word for it, but I am not punishing myself, for I have found this hibernation to be necessary. I have found what magic hibernation brings. I feel I am ready a little early this year to meander out of my cave and start nourishing my seeds with movement. Letting myself reach out for the wind, the sun, the moon and allowing myself to pull in all that sacred energy from these sources which surround me. I’m coming out!
What has been moving within this winter? I have found the importance of the choices we make. Food has been big for me this winter. I did some hypnotherapy to help me find a new relationship with food. This led to watching many documentaries on the food we eat, how it is processed forour consumption and I have discovered the cruelty I have inflicted upon myself over the years. What have I been doing to my body, my sacred temple? How can I have a better footprint on the earth as I walk my path? I watched so many documentaries that I got angry. This anger has been good for me. No more bottled water, no more processed foods, and no more high fructose corn syrup. I have totally adopted a new relationship with food. I now buy from a local organic store and only drink tap water. I am not being fooled by the corporate world and all the false advertising that is out in the media. I no longer buy meat, eggs etc, that I do not know where they come from. Have the animals been given their trueness, (if that is a word)? I am not eating much meat at all. It is difficult for me to think of the death of an animal for my consumption, when there is so much more out there to eat to nourish myself. I no longer wish to steal water from communities in order to have my water be easily accessible to me. In this process of learning I feel more in control of who I am as an individual. I can make a difference. Oh, and lets not forget the weight loss aspect. The pounds are dropping like flies.
I also spent the winter working on my Aromatherapy degree and emerging myself with the plant world. I work with the elements, and I have found that honoring your own cycle is a part of working with your own internal elements that affect your subtle bodies. I have been submerged in earth this winter and now I am adding the element of water, making a gentle stream for ideas and hopes to begin movement. I am pregnant with these gifts I have been given during the winter season and they now have the opportunity to grow and be nourished with earth and water.
Spring is just around the corner and a new beginning arises. I guess my message is, take the time to honor your cycles. Pay attention to how you are feeling during each season and accept that as ok. Allow your intuition to guide you and know that it is ok to relax and surrender to the pull of the winter winds. Take time to hibernate. Take time to allow earth to nourish you as you rest, find your true spirit within. What does Spirit want you to know about yourself? This is a time to create your being and know that you have the opportunity to become you. Ailynn

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Tapped
Food Inc.
Blue Gold
Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead
Forks over Knives
The Truth about Organics