How to use the energy of winter & the solstice
Just about a week after the winter solstice comes the ‘New Year Resolution’, go crush your goals energy – but is that really in alignment with the energy of winter? Keep on reading for the steps you can take to harness the winter solstice energy, at any time (it doesn’t have to be solstice to do this!).
Seasonal Living
Seasonal living is recognizing the energy of the seasons (winter, spring, summer, fall) and aligning the way you live your life with these energies. Our ancestors naturally lived this way out of necessity.
One thing that a lot of people miss when it comes to seasonal living is that your life does not always need to be in alignment with the seasonal energy that is going on around you (this is why I teach cyclical living – I know I know, it’s kinda all just semantics). It’s OK to be in an inner winter when it’s summer outside and vice versa. So – if the energy of winter and the winter solstice does not resonate with where you are right now, that’s ok. This process will be helpful whether you’re feeling the winter energy or not. Keep on reading for the three steps to help you get into alignment with winter solstice energy and how to harness it to bring more of what you desire into your life.
How to harness the energy of winter
Note: These steps don’t have to be done on the solstice, but the extra wintery energy doesn’t hurt!
Step 1: Reflect
What feelings does winter bring up inside of you? What does it mean to you? What memories does it invoke? What is winter like where you live now, where you grew up?
There is no right or wrong answer. Brain dump whatever comes to mind and simply get intentionally curious about your own feelings towards winter.
Step 2: Check in
What is your energy like right now? WHAT are you feeling, HOW are you feeling, WHERE are you feeling it? Can you let that be ok?
Step 3: Live it
If it feels in alignment, how can you incorporate winter energies into your life this season?
Winter energy
>> Feminine / BE
It’s so easy when you feel stuck or you’re trying to solve a problem to ask yourself “what can I DO?”, but winter energy allows us to ask, “how can I BE?” BEing is just as productive as doing.
Winter Activities
- Reflect on the past year.
What was YOUR story this past year?
- Dream & set intentions.
Get really connected to yourself, your past, your present, your future, your desires, your dreams. You will have time to take action, but right now it’s ok if you just want to BE.
- Make space to cozy up with your loved ones.
A winter solstice story & reflection
First Snow
I did not miss all the steps it takes to get the kids bundled in their snow gear before going out to play, but I found so much joy in the snow.
I love how it looks, I love how it sounds.
I love exploring in the snow.
And I even enjoy shoveling. (ask me again when I’m still shoveling in April & May!)
I’ve had this conflicting idea about winter in my head over the past few years. Winter & snow and the change of seasons is always so fun for me. But at the same time I’ve always hated the cold and daydreamed about living somewhere warm all year long.
So, the afternoon of our first snow, I intentionally got curious about my true feelings towards wintertime.
I realized that, yes, I’d rather wear shorts and feel the sun warming my body, but I really do enjoy winter.
I realized that the main reason I did not like winter time was the inconvenience of it. Getting out of the house is a lot more inconvenient – more layers, shoveling, warming the car and/or scraping ice or snow – and that’s where cyclical living comes in.
What if we didn’t look at winter as inconvenient. What if we didn’t try to live the same lives day in and day out like we did when the weather was warm.
What if it was OK to sleep in, to stay in, and to simply make time for slowness. Winter is an excellent reminder to slow down, move inward, and spend time with your loved ones around the figurative or literal hearthfire. Let it be ok.