Winter is upon us, and the first hard frost has crystallized the morning and suspended it in time for a moment of reflection.
Many of us go into winter lamenting the cold temperatures and the long dark days.
Are you one of those people? How many thoughts and comments have we made NOT looking forward to the days being so short or to being so cold?
How do you FEEL when your thoughts are on the cold months ahead? The dark nights ahead?
When you focus on the cold or the dark do you feel a sense of your energy decreasing? Maybe a sense of constriction, maybe a sense of resistance. Do you feel it?
…Now instead think about having quiet evenings, with no yard work to do. Hot chocolate… and cozy blankets. Think how mesmerizing icicles are, or the world covered in a blanket of pristine white. How about the first frost, “freezing in time” the last spectacular glories of fall?
You feel a little more elevated? Maybe a little more open? Which ‘feels’ better?
Either way, winter will come.
Either way, you’re going to spend days where the weather is cold and it is dark.
The choice of your feelings does not affect the fact that seasons change.
However, unconsciously we choose to focus on what we are losing. Unconsciously, we pick the resistance. But why? It doesn’t make us feel good, and it doesn’t change what is happening. Yet, we persist.
Why do we choose to stay in a state of resistance instead of looking at what is good? Either way, it IS in our future. The Ego Mind makes us think that we are protecting ourselves against something but, in the case of winter, it can never be more obvious that this is Not the case: our internal resistance will Not make it Not winter… So we have the power to choose, and what we choose affects how we experience the reality of what is happening outside of us.
By focusing the parts of the season that we don’t like, we are creating resistance and creating depression within our own body because we are focused on the part of it that we don’t want (as if that will change it). So instead, can you look at the spectacular beauty and variety that the change in season offers us? How impressive is the geometry of frost? How beautiful are snow and ice storms? I mean really.
Both perspectives are true. They are both reality. But it is your choice of how you want make yourself feel in the moment, what You want to focus on.
The seasons remind us how change is a natural part of life. It can get cold and we know that it will get warm again. It can get dark and we know that it will get sunny, again. We know that it is coming. We have faith that it will come. So cherish what is. Enjoy the contrast. And the long dark days? I think they are nature reminding us of some mental housekeeping we need in our own cycles of life. Sometimes we need to quiet down, go within, release some burdens, clean out some baggage. Winter provides the time for us to quiet down, snuggle in with life. Snuggle in with what matters most to us. Without so many of the distractions from the outside world. To me winter is a reminder to go within. Winter is nature’s meditation. We all need downtime. Enjoy it while you have it and it will help you appreciate the long days of summer that.much.more.
Winter is symbolic of change. The first hard frost is symbolic of change, and how we handle change. When change occurs in our life, do we focus on what we are losing, e.g. what is behind us? Or are we focusing on what we are gaining? Are we appreciating the awesome contrast of life, and how that contrast truly provides a deeper appreciation of the variety and the experience we are all here for?
Do you struggle with the dark winter? Can you feel a little space now where you can instead move *towards* it with acceptance, and even appreciation? We can all learn a little from winter…
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