December 2014
photo credit unknown
Hopefully you all managed to finish out your year without pissing off Krampus; if you are reading this, it is likely.
As the Solstice/Yule holiday presses near, it might serve us to remember that the Sun begins to return after the Solstice. Everyday it sticks around a little longer and we make our march forward and back around. A lot of people often fear the modern winter life, it can be draining, we sometimes just trudge through it without looking around for the positive aspects of what it means. A lot of us fall prey to sickness and depression because we have built this unsustainable structure for getting by from day to day. This time of year indicates we might be better off hibernating, to put food in the pantry and go warm by a fire (or heating vent, or radiator) BUT--it is important to remember that the light will return, growth is happening right now even when we cannot see it, and in so many more ways than just plants. We too are growing, and as a global community where uncertainty and communications seem to grow at the same rate, we can show each other support by committing selfless acts this, and every season. Find out how, and help other animals, whether they are people or canine, feline or other! Lend what is needed, and lend it without expectations. Take care to nourish your soul, as well as contributing to nourishing the bodies and souls of others. This becomes food for the spirit of all involved, well that is the hope anyway. So reach out, and lend ears, hearts, shoulders, and a voice where appropriate.
Thanksgiving (in whichever mode you celebrate it) isn't the only day a year that one should be thankful, it should be every day, every hour. Sing, smile and bellow your way through winter; this is what will keep the fire hot and stoked. Remember, Winter is a crucial part of the wheel of the seasons, it brings pause for reflection, pause for collecting ourselves. Yes, the light will return and you will have warm soil beneath your feet again, but let this season be a part of your good memories too. In this modern world, make time in winter for pause.