Yes, yes and yes!! Adore this it’s so true we are still in our cocoon of winter there is no reason to just try to change everything because of a date change! I love your tips to dream and reflect and to just trust our inner guidance! So about all of this! 🤍
Thank you for your support and for leaving such a kind comment, lovely!
Yesss I’ve also read your post on this topic and love how we feel similar and yet have different ideas for tending to ourselves in this time. That makes it so special, when we trust ourselves that we already know what we need and how to look after ourselves 🌸
Hello Carmen! Your beautiful post appeared in my "explore" feed and I'm so glad it did! I have long been rebelliously lingering in pretty much every season that we're told has a timeline - especially Christmas. I observe Advent but I always feel like I'm behind in some way. I'm sure it has to do with trying to find a reflective space when the culture around me is hustling and bustling in commercialism. Then Christmas Day arrives with the door slammed behind it, almost shaming us if we dare to linger in actual Christmastide. It feels like an act of agency to leave the decorations up and I *need* to do so, until it naturally feels like it's time to move on.
I am filled with (almost giddy) excitement as I consider your ritual of "dreaming" in January. I did not know that the historical new year was celebrated with the spring equinox - this makes so much more sense to me! My mind and spirit are wonderfully activated with the possibilities of creating a calendar that I no longer have to fight with. Thank you for your reflections - they feel like the best gift.
Hi Erin, thank you for sharing how you found my post, I had no idea it showed in the "explore" feed, that's a first for me - how exciting.
I can totally relate to the Advent feeling of being behind, we naturally want to slow down in this time. And yet, everyone goes even faster.
How's your dreaming practice been going in January?
I love writing these dreams down on paper around Imbolg / Candle mass to capture them and then release them into nature, for example burn or throw into a river. So I give these back into the world and am open to receiving and slowly thinking of how I can plant the seeds to "harvest" these dreams later in the year. I have an old post about this I think and will write something up for next week.
The dreaming has been good but certainly a process as there's still the lingering pressure to have everything all sorted out yesterday!
And thank you for sharing about the releasing around Candlemas - that feels so fitting and freeing. The metaphor of sowing and harvesting your dreams is lovely. I've been musing all month about how I can allow my 'new year ' begin with spring, as well as the rituals and practices I want to incorporate. What I'm finding so liberating about all this is that I'm not having to overhaul my whole calendar, it's just these intentional shifts to be more aligned with my natural rhythms.
P.s. This also makes me think of Katherine May's book, "Wintering"? Have you read it?
I have finally took some time to read your letter after our nice exchange on Notes and I found it beautifully written. It makes me smile that, growing up in the Alpine region, our perspectives across the border mean different kinds of food: pizza and gelato for you, pretzels for me 😄❤️
Here's to dreaming, reflecting and trusting. I seem to have a bit of creative energy, so I'm going with it, but with the knowledge that I can slow it down if I need to 😌
I love this and had no idea that it was custom to keep decorations and wreaths up until February... I really like that idea although I have just taken down the inside decorations and tree from our home and I have to say I like it all cleared away. Can’t wait for our deep rest away from Instagram together xxx
Yesss it’s so nourishing to know we have our space for holding each other throughout January 🥰 and for the local customs, this is for sure not done by many anymore with people moving and migrating and lots of influence from the US with putting decorations already up super early, more and more get rid of them early as well. If I had a tree, I’d take it down by the 14th of January haha because that’s my birthday but all other nature decorations stay for a few more weeks ✨
Thank you for sharing this Carmen. I want to take a moment to acknowledge you for the time and effort it takes to create and share with the world. I appreciate your authentic and heartfelt words. January still feels like Winter and I’ve let go of expectations to start something new or level up in some way because it’s exhausting. It’s important for us to honour our rhythms and do what is best for us. Like you pointed out, nature does not bloom until Spring. We too are part of nature. We do not need to hurry and pressure ourselves into living a different way. I wrote about my reflections here and feel you’d enjoy it: https://open.substack.com/pub/soulwisdom/p/being-and-becoming?r=a9uns&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Thank you for sharing your reflections Vipul and stopping by here with a kind comment. Appreciate it! You're so right, we're part of nature no matter where we are in the world
Yes, yes and yes!! Adore this it’s so true we are still in our cocoon of winter there is no reason to just try to change everything because of a date change! I love your tips to dream and reflect and to just trust our inner guidance! So about all of this! 🤍
Thank you for your support and for leaving such a kind comment, lovely!
Yesss I’ve also read your post on this topic and love how we feel similar and yet have different ideas for tending to ourselves in this time. That makes it so special, when we trust ourselves that we already know what we need and how to look after ourselves 🌸
Hello Carmen! Your beautiful post appeared in my "explore" feed and I'm so glad it did! I have long been rebelliously lingering in pretty much every season that we're told has a timeline - especially Christmas. I observe Advent but I always feel like I'm behind in some way. I'm sure it has to do with trying to find a reflective space when the culture around me is hustling and bustling in commercialism. Then Christmas Day arrives with the door slammed behind it, almost shaming us if we dare to linger in actual Christmastide. It feels like an act of agency to leave the decorations up and I *need* to do so, until it naturally feels like it's time to move on.
I am filled with (almost giddy) excitement as I consider your ritual of "dreaming" in January. I did not know that the historical new year was celebrated with the spring equinox - this makes so much more sense to me! My mind and spirit are wonderfully activated with the possibilities of creating a calendar that I no longer have to fight with. Thank you for your reflections - they feel like the best gift.
Hi Erin, thank you for sharing how you found my post, I had no idea it showed in the "explore" feed, that's a first for me - how exciting.
I can totally relate to the Advent feeling of being behind, we naturally want to slow down in this time. And yet, everyone goes even faster.
How's your dreaming practice been going in January?
I love writing these dreams down on paper around Imbolg / Candle mass to capture them and then release them into nature, for example burn or throw into a river. So I give these back into the world and am open to receiving and slowly thinking of how I can plant the seeds to "harvest" these dreams later in the year. I have an old post about this I think and will write something up for next week.
The dreaming has been good but certainly a process as there's still the lingering pressure to have everything all sorted out yesterday!
And thank you for sharing about the releasing around Candlemas - that feels so fitting and freeing. The metaphor of sowing and harvesting your dreams is lovely. I've been musing all month about how I can allow my 'new year ' begin with spring, as well as the rituals and practices I want to incorporate. What I'm finding so liberating about all this is that I'm not having to overhaul my whole calendar, it's just these intentional shifts to be more aligned with my natural rhythms.
P.s. This also makes me think of Katherine May's book, "Wintering"? Have you read it?
I have finally took some time to read your letter after our nice exchange on Notes and I found it beautifully written. It makes me smile that, growing up in the Alpine region, our perspectives across the border mean different kinds of food: pizza and gelato for you, pretzels for me 😄❤️
🍕🍨🥨 sending love across the Alps
Here's to dreaming, reflecting and trusting. I seem to have a bit of creative energy, so I'm going with it, but with the knowledge that I can slow it down if I need to 😌
Ohhh energy spurts should not be ignored and I’m cure you incorporate lots of creative rest and spaciousness between your creations ✨
I love this and had no idea that it was custom to keep decorations and wreaths up until February... I really like that idea although I have just taken down the inside decorations and tree from our home and I have to say I like it all cleared away. Can’t wait for our deep rest away from Instagram together xxx
Yesss it’s so nourishing to know we have our space for holding each other throughout January 🥰 and for the local customs, this is for sure not done by many anymore with people moving and migrating and lots of influence from the US with putting decorations already up super early, more and more get rid of them early as well. If I had a tree, I’d take it down by the 14th of January haha because that’s my birthday but all other nature decorations stay for a few more weeks ✨
Thank you for sharing this Carmen. I want to take a moment to acknowledge you for the time and effort it takes to create and share with the world. I appreciate your authentic and heartfelt words. January still feels like Winter and I’ve let go of expectations to start something new or level up in some way because it’s exhausting. It’s important for us to honour our rhythms and do what is best for us. Like you pointed out, nature does not bloom until Spring. We too are part of nature. We do not need to hurry and pressure ourselves into living a different way. I wrote about my reflections here and feel you’d enjoy it: https://open.substack.com/pub/soulwisdom/p/being-and-becoming?r=a9uns&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Thank you for sharing your reflections Vipul and stopping by here with a kind comment. Appreciate it! You're so right, we're part of nature no matter where we are in the world
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Hi Josefine great to hear it resonates and am totally with you, self compassion and trusting whatever lies ahead of us is so important 🥰