Navigating your way through the darkness
Winter is a time of ‘death’ when life is sitting still, and our souls descend into the shadow realms. That is when we listen and rest. This is what I define as hibernation. And as the beautiful Bear spirit teaches us, it is okay to rest and be still. There is medicine in that. Love yourself so powerfully that you give yourself permission to take care of your needs. And to fill your own cup.
But what is the shadow realm? It is the place in your psyche and subconscious mind where all the parts of yourself and all the repressed emotions and memories live. Have you heard of seasonal depression? Or SAD. my theory is they are both the same. But because most of us are not taught how to gracefully accept and follow the seasons we have lost our way in dealing with those difficult and emotionally heavy times.
As the veil between worlds thins and the cold weather settles in our bones. There is nothing left for us to do except to travel inwards. And meet ourselves in our messiness and ‘ugliness’. This is the most important time to practice that faith you’ve been building in yourself and divinity. Remembering that you ARE the light. That you are inherently WORTHY. And so you get to learn more about yourself and what desires, fears, shame, guilt, judgement, and illusions you hold within. and then show those parts of you love and compassion. Accept that these emotions and experiences exist within you, while also remembering you are MORE than that. You are the light AND the shadow. But we normally get lost or forget our powerful light when we are in the midst of the shadowy density.
The more you practice acceptance, unconditional love, and compassion, the easier it would be for you to pull yourself out from the dark when it is time. Plus it will give you so much more confidence and peace to feel free to be who you are. Because you no longer feel the need to hide yourself or parts of yourself. Our shadows are only little pieces of ourselves that require our love and attention. And when we don’t give them that, they scream and act out like a child throwing a tantrum. And then they will begin to seek their needs from other humans outside of the self. But that will never be fully satisfying because you’re giving your power away. And your soul knows that. It is your responsibility to remember your own power and to give yourself what you need. Doing this will nurture your soul and your world will soon become brighter and warmer. A physical reflection of what lives in your mind.
And lucky you, now is the best time to be reflecting over what has been distilling inside of you all along. Learn what shadows are holding you back from living life the way you want and create a plan to help you see those shadows without crippling yourself.
Today is a new moon and it marks the beginning of imbolc within the wheel of the year. Imbolc celebrates the coming of early spring. It is a time where we remember the light that is starting to come back alive and ascend into the upperworld. Imbolc is the first of three spring sabbats and is associated with cleansing and purifying. It is an opportunity to clear out anything that doesn’t serve you whether it’s people, situations, issues, or material belongings, this energy of cleansing reaches all areas of our lives.
Since Imbolc represents spring, this also means it is the time to begin planting seeds. Both physically and spiritually. There are many ways to figure out what seeds you want to plant this season and which seeds have rot and need to be cleared.
I reflect through:
Journaling,
Dancing,
Sitting in circle with other women,
Meditation,
Sound healing,
Breathwork,
Mirror work
These are but a few modalities you can use to quiet the mind and go into the body to feel where healing and attention needs to go. It is essential that you let yourself dive into the dark for reflection. For only through descending can you truly ascend and rise. But I do want you to keep in mind not to go through the reflection with the mindset of “I want to fix myself’ babe you’re worthy and perfect the way you are. We are here to show ourselves MORE love. We are here to understand ourselves in a DEEPER way and to plant seeds and NURTURE thoughts and behaviours that amplify our love to ourselves and the world. We are NOT here to judge, hate, or shame ourselves. Remember, love and compassion are your keys to finding the light that will help you rise. And it all comes from within.
This is why I love this time of year. Because it reflects to us the process we need to undergo to move into the next phase of our lives. And it reminds us that the light WILL come and be seen and felt. So if you’re struggling to find the light within, I invite you to explore connecting with the energy of imbolc.
You can do this through:
practicing candle magic (Preferably red candle to honour the sun),
creating a Brigid Cross,
Chanting and connecting with Brigid
physically planting seeds,
and literally cleaning your house (have you heard of spring cleaning?)
You can also add these elements into your daily life:
Crystals - Amethyst, Carnelian, Calcite, Moonstone.
Herbs - Cinnamon, Basil, Rosemary, Chamomile, Blackberry.
Goddesses - Brigid, Diana, Athena, Gaia.
Food - Nuts, Eggs, Dairy, Dried fruits, Seeds.
Incense - Lavender, Frankincense, Jasmine.
At the end of the day, the most important takeaway from this is to remember you are whole, you are worthy, you are capable, you are a creatrix, you are powerful and all the shadows and darkness that exists within you are there to help you to always come back to this truth. So show yourself some compassion, go easy on yourself, and that’s when you’ll be able to transcend the illusions that hold you back from embodying your light.
As a bonus, I will leave you with some journal prompts taken from one of my favourite books - The Witch of The Forest’s Guide to Natural Magick-
What areas of my life do I need to grow?
How do I nurture this growth?
What should I clear from my life?
How do I facilitate this clearing?
How do I nurture myself?