While I've come to love winter and the holidays, it hasn't always been that way. I used to REALLY struggle through the entire season.
I didn't feel deeply connected with the holidays. They felt overwhelming, overly busy, and like I was going along with traditions that I didn't feel aligned with.
I also used to suffer terribly with seasonal depression. The cold days and long dark nights were really hard on me.
Before I found practices to shift the energy and emotions of the season, it wasn't uncommon for me to sleep for 12 hours a day, to cry most days, to plunge into a deeper depression after holiday festivities, and to loathe the entire month of February (which was sad, since that’s my birth month!)
I HATED the cold, and spent a LOT of time and energy thinking about being anywhere but Wisconsin.
Maybe you, too, have felt the season this intensely, or perhaps you simply don't feel connected to a certain aspect of this time of year. Wherever you fall on this spectrum, I'm here to tell you that you CAN embrace more joy and peace this season.
And I'm making it my mission this winter to share simple, accessible ways for you to shift the energy & emotions.
Because what I've discovered is that winter is a unique and special season. It is rich in all kinds of goodness for the soul. It's a time to embrace.
And holidays (heck, add to that birthdays, anniversaries of important events, etc) hold the meaning we give them, and through intention and mindful action, we can shift ourselves into a joyful, peaceful relationship with it all.
If you love winter and the holidays, and none of this resonates with you, please share this with someone that could use the free support, and tell them to subscribe to my newsletter HERE to receive more throughout the season.
Additionally, while I'm speaking about winter, many of my practices can be applied to any season or life event that you struggle to get through.
Bringing Deeper Meaning To Holidays
I often hear people say they feel conflicted about celebrating, or simply disconnected from holidays.
I can relate, as I used to wonder, “What’s the purpose? Where’s the meaning? What if my personal beliefs don’t align with this holiday?”
While I think it’s good to question holiday traditions and stories that we don’t feel aligned with, I don’t think we should toss holidays or traditions out altogether.
After all, these times were originally about:
Connecting with Nature’s rhythms and getting to know her deeper.
Crossing thresholds into sacred times of the year.
Allowing Nature to mirror to us how we can also shed, nurture, and grow, just as she does, to enrich our lives.
Slowing down to connect with loved ones and community, and share what’s on our hearts.
Moving into each new season mindfully, with intention, together.
You may know about the ancient roots of December holiday celebrations, but what about Thanksgiving?
You may be surprised to know that ancient Pagan, shamanic AND Native American harvest celebrations were the original inspiration for Thanksgiving. This time was celebrated across the world well before the pilgrims even knew North America existed.
These times were all about celebrating and honoring the Earth, the many gods and goddesses of grains/food/Nature, and the bounty reaped by all the hard work put into nurturing the food that would sustain our ancestors through the long winters.
In at least some parts of the world, the last and biggest celebration of the season occurred after the final harvest, and it served as the grand finale of the smaller celebrations that took place throughout the entire harvest season.
After this grand finale, people followed Nature’s cue, slowing down and turning inward.
Ways you can breathe new life into holidays:
1. Share this email with someone you care about and start a conversation about how you can reconnect with the true essence of these special times of year.
2. Give yourself permission to create boundaries if your current celebrations don’t fill your cup. You do not have to go to 500 holiday celebrations, spend all day in the kitchen, induce food comas, or talk about current events, family drama, etc.
You definitely don’t have to celebrate in ways that make you feel bad, or make you feel like you’re supporting false narratives.
Again- don't toss the holiday out all together, instead, find a new way to connect with the original intentions of our ancestors and their celebrations that preceded modern holidays.
3. If you don’t fully align with the stories or ways of celebrating certain holidays, brainstorm with your loved ones in advance so you can make a plan for how to celebrate that honor everyone’s perspectives.
For anyone that feels depleted, overwhelmed, or disconnected from any (or all) holidays, I encourage you to make new meaning of these times.
You can do this by developing or reviving rituals and ceremonies that:
Nourish your soul, energize you & bring you joy
Help you step into each new season with intention & awareness
Connect you to your loved ones, and your community in ways that feel special
Excite you, and allow you to anchor a sense of spaciousness and peace into your life
Connects you to the original meaning of these special times of year
With the major holidays around the corner..
1. Remember: this CAN be a time of joy, peace, and soul nourishing connection with others, with Nature, and with your spirit.
Whenever you start to feel overwhelmed or out of alignment with any aspect of the season, pause, then align with what brings you joy and peace.
Don't feel bad if this means you need to change up plans or traditions that don't support your wellbeing.
2. Remember: our ancestors have celebrated and honored these times for tens of thousands of years. We can trace most modern holidays back to something rooted in celebrating Nature’s rhythm.
There is something deeply meaningful at the root of it all, and it’s up to us to reclaim and embody that soul nourishing meaning.
No one’s going to do it for us, and it’s not going to magically just “happen” one day. We must be the change we wish to see.
3. Remember: these times are to be seen, honored and celebrated for their outer AND inner richness- action is necessary!
What I'm about to share is important if you want to build soul nourishing rituals and traditions, because it will help you FEEL the interconnectedness with Nature and all of life in your bones- to EMBODY that interconnectedness.
To simply know in our brains that we are interconnected is cognitive- its surface level; its Step #1. You've gotta take it deeper and actually EMBODY it.
Here's how to take action, per #3:
Outer richness: Take soul aligned action to honor & celebrate Nature and her seasons. The outer richness of fall brings harvest, sustenance, beauty and abundance. What can you do to express gratitude for that abundance?
Inner richness: Notice what Nature is mirroring back to you. Winter, for example, reminds us to turn inward, to rest more, and nurture and incubate the new potential that will emerge come spring.
Winter also reminds us that old parts of ourselves must “die” in order to birth the new versions of ourselves that we’ve been dreaming into being- and what a gift!
How can you immerse yourself in winter's teaching?
If any of this resonates, my hope is that..
You feel inspired to reconnect with the core essence of these sacred times of year.
You feel inspired to build traditions that remind you that we are interconnected with Nature, and all of life.
Your traditions connect you to the simple joys and reflections that are unique to each season.
Your traditions connect you to your community and loved ones in ways that nurture your soul.
And lastly, that you share what new traditions and rituals you sprinkle into your life with me, and your community!
I always love to hear how things land with you, so please don’t hesitate to drop me a line HERE.