January is the month many of us associate with new beginnings, as we mark the turn of the new year.
Let us speak about beginnings then, Lovelies, by traveling back, back into the true beginning.
In the beginning, was the creative soul of the universe, who has been known by various names, but who, in this particular reflection, we call Goddess, the Mother- in latin, the ‘Mater’ of all things.
From the cosmic birth of our galaxy, to the formation of our planet earth by terrifying cataclysmic events, to the conception and birth of the first life, to the destruction of what no longer flows with her rythym, all things seen and unseen move to the sway of her cosmic hips. She is both Universal and Personal, as Nature herself, and though dominator culture continually attempts to harness Her energy for their own benefits, She cannot be tamed, for She is all things wild and primal.
Just as cultures built on hierarchy have attempted to control and tame the Earth Herself, they also attempt to own the feminine, both within our own human bodies and genders, and as a general principle within our lived human experience.
Who is most able to teach a young person how to be a powerful feminine force who lives in balance with all things? Isn’t it a Mother, or a Mother-like figure, who shows by her LIVED example how to be and move in the world?
But, all of us have at times been separated from learning the wisdom of our Mother Earth. This separation only benefits those placed at the top of a dominator, power hungry culture. It wasn’t all that long ago that one of us could be accused of the crime of witchcraft just for walking alone in a field or forest, and so it is not our fault that We have forgotten our Mother’s name, her touch, her smell, her nourishment- though we see her every day, she is a stranger to us, we do not recognize her, and so we cannot access the deep wisdom that she would teach us. This is our own innate wisdom of flowing into and WITH the laws of nature, not against them.
This is what it means to be wild, untamed, primal in femininity. Not that we live thoughtlessly- rather, we live very intentionally, close to our own truth. Wild means that we know who we are and that we do not belong in a domestic cage made by anyone’s hands. When we realign ourselves with the laws of our Mother, who is Nature, we remember the truth of ourselves what it is that is authentic in us. This is what brings us back into balance with our own feminine agency and not only that, it can help restore the balance of our world.
If we put our ears to the ground, and listen closely to subtle vibrations of the earth, we can remember.
If we watch the clouds rolling across the sky, or the way a flock of geese fly home after winter, we can remember.
If we run our hands along the rough, living bark of a tree, we can remember.
Whenever we drink water from a pure source, when we eat a fruit or vegetable or animal, we can remember.
It is a radical act of feminism for all of us to reconnect ourselves to the cycles of the Mother Earth, because these are laws that are ancient, immutable and supersede hierarchies. The laws of nature very clearly and directly put desire and choice as a determining factor in the long-term survival and adaptation of a species. What that means is that the feminine aspects of our souls already hold so much more power than we have been told.
So I want to invite us to tune in now to the energy of the season that surrounds us all, to see how our Mother, the Earth, conducts herself, and ask ourselves what we can learn from Her in order to live in more empowerment:
Now, is the season of The Wintering Feminine Soul.
In the depths of winter, nature offers wisdom about the sacred importance of rest and renewal. Just as plants and animals embrace a period of dormancy, our souls also require seasons of rest.
Let me start with a passage from Katherine May’s book, “Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times:”
“Doing those deeply unfashionable things—slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting—is a radical act of feminism now, but it is essential. This is a crossroads we all know, a moment when, you need to shed a skin. If you do, you’ll expose all those painful nerve endings and feel so raw that you’ll need to take care of yourself for a while. If you don’t, then that skin will harden around you. It’s one of the most important choices you’ll ever make.”
Look at how nature rests in winter. Bears hibernate to save energy during the cold months. Trees drop their leaves and store energy in their roots. These aren't signs of giving up - they're smart ways of surviving that nature has developed over thousands of years.
Like nature, we don't need to be constantly active and productive. Just as a seed quietly grows under frozen ground, our quiet times can be periods of deep transformation and preparation for something new and creative. We all go through winter-like periods in our lives - some brief, some longer.
We often are pressured to ignore against our natural need for rest. We try to keep growing, working, staying young, and always being "on." But nature shows us that deep rest isn't just nice to have - we need it to survive and thrive. Each winter is unique, just like each spring that follows. The earth is always changing and adapting. Without winter's rest, we'd have endless growth - which isn't healthy, just like how endless cell growth becomes cancer.
Think of a garden plant that comes back year after year. It needs winter's rest to bloom in spring. Many seeds actually need cold weather before they can sprout. In the same way, we need quiet periods in our lives. These times of rest aren't wasted - they're when we strengthen our roots, process our experiences, and gather strength for future growth. It's like composting for the soul - turning old experiences into energy for new growth.
When we have recently let go of something, or experience a trauma of some kind, a time of rest and reflection is crucial for us to be able to compost that experience, to sit with our grief and our loss, so that we can heal. If we skip this step in the cycle, we rob ourselves of the chance to heal, and integrate that experience in a meaningful way.
Like the changing seasons, our soul journey isn't linear. It moves in cycles of activity and rest, growth and consolidation, outward expression and inner reflection. Just as the earth moves in an orbit around the sun, the soul also arcs in concentric circles of grief and love- and when you are in a season of grief, your soul will demand a safe place to curl up and rest. When we honor these natural rhythms, in the earth and in ourselves, we align ourselves with wild wisdom.
During our soulful winters, we might:
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Practice contemplative silence instead of constant activity
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Allow ourselves to rest in our uncertainty rather than forcing answers
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Focus on maintaining rather than expanding our practice
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Trust in the unseen growth happening beneath the surface
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Discard old ways of being in the world, to make room for a new stage of empowerment
Just as winter eventually yields to spring, periods of rest naturally give way to new growth. The key is trusting this process, knowing that what appears dormant is often quietly preparing for renewal.
When we embrace these cycles, we discover that rest isn't the opposite of growth - it's an essential part of it. May we all lean in to trust in the power of sacred rest, knowing it prepares us for our own season of blooming in a new cycle, a new way of being.
May you rest in the truth of your own wintering season, beautiful friend!