The movement from Autumn to Winter can be bittersweet. Our energy naturally turns inward – to ourselves, our families, the challenges & achievements of the past turn of seasons, and the look-ahead goals we want to focus on with hopeful sights for the coming turn of seasons.
When the temperature drops and winds change, we prepare to brave what’s ahead. We take inventory, we change it up, and we get rid of what’s unnecessary. When the night falls and the weather grows harsh, we light the fires within – celebrate indoors, snuggle up to our comforts, and make plans for what we'll be up to next, what we'll need to achieve it, and how we'll navigate new situations.
Most of the time, these shifting energies can highlight our hopes & best efforts – celebrating, sharing, being generous with our resources, and embracing the fullness of our gratitude for all we have & all we have overcome. However, these energies also have a darker side.
Most of the time, these shifting energies can highlight our hopes & best efforts – celebrating, sharing, being generous with our resources, and embracing the fullness of our gratitude for all we have & all we have overcome. However, these energies also have a darker side.
| The darker side to these energies gives us a deep-down dive into our hearts & minds – possibly highlighting griefs or disappointments, fears, jealousies, and despair. The benefit of going within during the winter months and stoking our internal fires of Life is that we can dissolve all this darkness. We can evaluate the changes, strengths, & lessons we have gleaned from our disappointments and challenges – the things that didn’t go our way. We can appreciate the self-knowledge and value our selves when we recognize our insecurities juxtaposed to our desires & intentions. This is a great opportunity to say, “Emotions don’t have to last forever. I can toss out the old & worn-out stuff, repurpose & rejuvenate the still-useful stuff, and make space for new stuff.” When we can re-evaluate the past year, the present circumstance, and our vision for the coming year with this healing & cleansing perspective, we are pulling out limiting & false beliefs, rewiring how we look at ourselves & circumstances, and making ourselves unstoppable creators of our lives. |  No Judgement - Just Let the Leaves Fall |
One way to really engage this is with a kind of Oak-Tree-Evergreen-Tree diagram. Put your left hand on a blank piece of paper and trace its outline, including going down your wrist. The part that is your wrist is like the trunk of a tree. Your fingers are like bare branches. This is the Oak Tree, having shed leaves but being a symbol of wisdom & change. Write out the fallen leaves of everything you can let go of from the past year – disappointments, relationships, goals that changed because they seemed blocked or had off-timing or became too small in the face of a bigger & better vision of yourself.
| Trace another hand-tree using your right hand on a separate sheet of paper. This one will be like the Evergreen Tree remaining full during winter. Take plenty of time considering what you will place on this tree – just naming goals for each finger-bough, or making several ornaments & balls of light as if decorating it for the holidays. Fill this tree with up to 5 goals you have for the coming year (maybe reinvented from last year's), your strengths & gifts, things you’re grateful for & things that bring joy to your heart. |  Tree-topper Star: Areas/Categories; Major Goals; Affirmations & Mind-set; Gratitude & Appreciation; Action Steps & Milestones |
| Finally, take the first tree diagram featuring what you are releasing or letting go, and tear it up or safely burn it in the fire-pit. Dispose of it in whatever way you see fit, and realize that this process of disposal is a significant act of releasing the old stuff and letting go of whatever could be holding you back or whatever changed in a challenging way. |  |
Take the second tree diagram of your new vision, reinvented & new goals, and lasting hope for the accomplishments you affirm you will achieve. Recognize that everything you jus let go of led you to tis reinvented &rededicated vision for the coming year. Appreciate your capacity to overcome obstacles, learn new things, and face challenges as opportunities. Consider putting this tree diagram on display among your festive décor or in a special place where you will be inspired daily by seeing it - as a bookmark in your journal, or on your desk, or by your wall calendar - wherever it will inspire you frequently in the next few months until springtime.
Wishing you & yours peace, blessings, & joy to last the winter and all year long!
Wishing you & yours peace, blessings, & joy to last the winter and all year long!
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