Withdrawing

It is that time of year. It is cold, icy and with strong winds. I just want to curl up with a blanket to keep out the draughts and stay indoors. For me it is a time to actually do things as well. I find I can reflect on the previous months but also do some searching out of unwanted items. I know this is the wrong time of year for this but it helps me to retain a sense of homeliness if you like. By doing the sorting out I make my home tidier and better to live in during the winter months.I move things around to fit the season so that I feel this cosiness and warmth around me. I am sure I am meant to hibernate at this time of the year. It certainly feels that way.

This morning I decided to make what could be a Yule cake or Christmas cake. I love the smell of baking, bread, cakes and pies of some kind. It permeates the whole house and makes it feel warm. There is something about an open fire too but I don’t have that pleasure. Central heating does not give off the same vibes. I can’t watch the flames of a coal fire and look at the colours and shapes forming in them. That is something I miss. But I can light candles and watch their flames instead.

So I am withdrawing into my cocoon of cosiness. What will I do in my cocoon? I shall read and knit and continue with my research. I shall look through the windows at the sky and the trees. I shall watch the sunrise and the sunset and see the beautiful colours sin them. I shall listen to the wind howling through the chimneys and making the trees sway alarmingly. I shall not become a hermit though as I shall talk to friends and acquaintances by phone, email, text and in person. It is just that my home will feel different making my own feelings different as well.

And I shall look forward to the Spring!

Dark dismal days

It is another dark dismal day with heavy rain. It has now rained almost continuously for over a day and is forecast for today and tomorrow. On a spiritual level, the rain is cleansing the earth and is much needed. It washes away negative energy left by us and our industries.

It also helps the plants to grow and again is needed for this. Our storage reservoirs will also soon be full again after the hot summer. I find that days without sunshine are sometimes hard to deal with especially in the winter. But it is that time of the year when animals think about hibernating and I feel that this is what I would like to do as well. I don’t feel like this every day but only the dark days.

How do these dark days affect you? What do you do during this time? As Samhain approaches we near the time of introspection, of deep inner work and of planning for the coming of the Spring. At the moment I am finding this quite hard to do. It may be because of the current upheavals going on in my life. How do you feel about the approach of the winter time? How do you prepare for this time of inner work? Does your creativity also go to sleep?