WINTERING AS AN ART FORM
The Gifts of Winter, Katherine May's book on Wintering, Writing In Community, Mary Oliver, Advent, and More...
Hello, my friends.
All the signs are here.
The owls have returned to the large tree behind the house and the geese to the lakes.
It's getting dark earlier and earlier.
It snowed all through the night last night.
The fireplace warms up the den more mornings than not.
I’ve transitioned to drinking more hot tea and less coffee.
Welcome to Winter.
As someone who for years has longed for the kinds of winters you see in illustrated children’s books, with iced fir trees and mountain tops, the beginning of winter here in Colorado brings me warm feelings and that cozy, Christmas card vibe.
For many of us, it’s a clearly defined seasonal shift in the psyche as well, signaling a time to settle in and slow down. A more introspective season. For some, the winter months can be difficult, due to less sunlight and more time indoors. Winter is all of these things and more. Regardless of where you live or how you feel about winter, we have all begun wintering on this side of the globe.
Wintering by Katherine May, is a book I bought about this time last year. It’s a beautiful book and one I look forward to returning to again this winter. It is both hopeful and heartening while also taking an unflinching look at grief and loss. If you are like me and feel this tug-of-war of complicated feelings during the holidays, you might devour it at a steady pace as I did last year, or perhaps, as I intend to do this winter, in a more contemplative approach, like reading a daily devotional. Savoring, sipping slowing, along with my sleigh-ride tea.
“Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through.”
From Wintering by Katherine May
One of the things I love about this book is May’s ability to be authentic and relatable by owning up to the less flattering sides of herself. We begin to see her full humanity through profoundly simple stories via conversations with her family and friends.
As author S.E. Reid writes, “In May’s hands, the coldest months of our lives become crystalline and meaningful as long as we learn to stop and really see them for what they are. Wintering, truly, is an art form.
I wonder how you will approach the season of winter this year?
If the beginning of the winter season brings a sense of dread, how might we acknowledge the gifts of winter and embrace them as a time of soul nurturance and self-reflection? How might the winter become more of an art form for us?
Of all the seasons, it seems to me that winter most represents the contemplative approach to life. By helping us to slow down and offering us opportunities to pay attention to the deeper stories within.
Winter can bring the wisdom that encourages us to focus on rest and restoration, which then supports our creativity and expression. A gentle nod here toward my writing program that begins in January. Project 444 was created as a way for me to support other women to begin to write, heal, and share their stories in a supportive community. The winter months feel like the perfect season for us to root down and journey together through the stories you long to write and share. We’ll journey through the winter months together, creating art of our lives and bringing love and healing to our hurting places, digging beneath the frost and snow and emerging in the spring time with gifts of our intentional wintering together. Like May, we will make art of our lives.
Curious to learn more about how we’ll winter together through writing? Click the button below for more information about our group program and how to join us.
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“Every season offers its special wisdom,” writes Hillary Nichols . Winter “is also a time of letting go, and an invitation to deeply listen to our bodies and nurture ourselves with extra love and kindness.
All regeneration, healing, and renewal happen in the deepest place of peace. That’s why sleep, meditation, deep contemplation or prayer are so important.
Our place of peace inside is sacred. It is our very essence, and also the essence of nature. When you go deeply within, it is not isolating, you are not an island. Rather, that is where we find connection—the unity consciousness that joins all of us in oneness. Our true purpose is to embody what comes from that essence, and the best place to find it is in stillness and silence.”
You can pick up a copy of Wintering at your local library and of course anywhere books are sold. If you’d like to visit my bookshop site, a portion of the proceeds support one of my favorite local bookstores, Old Firehouse Books Store in Fort Collins. They are kind and generous people and I like returning that kindness to them.
3 THINGS WORTH SHARING:
A winter poem by Mary Oliver Poem: White Eyes
Journal Questions:
What warms my heart? What do I treasure most? What matters most to me?
Am I honoring, caring for, and nurturing myself emotionally, physically and spiritually? If not, what simple practice can I add to my life?
When I sit in silence, what message does my heart have for me?
THE SEASON OF ADVENT BEGAN THIS SUNDAY, NOV. 27:
For those like me who seek to follow the Christian mystical tradition, the season of Advent’s timely arrival occurs just as the often too-muchness of holiday preparations begin. Practicing Advent is an excellent way to prepare your mind and heart for Christmas. Just as a daily contemplative sit is an oasis in a overfull day and an overfull mind ( and so much more than that) so the observance of Advent keeps us grounded and connected to our spiritual roots in a dizzying season.
“Remember, when we speak of Advent or preparing for Christmas, we’re not just talking about waiting for the little baby Jesus to be born. That already happened 2,000 years ago. In fact, we’re welcoming the Universal Christ, the Cosmic Christ, the Christ that is forever being born in the human soul and into history.
And believe me, we do have to make room, because right now there is no room in the inn for such a mystery. We see things pretty much in their materiality, but we don’t see the light shining through. We don’t see the incarnate spirit that is hidden inside of everything material.” *
- Richard Rohr
One of the ways we celebrate Advent season in my house is by lighting a candle each Sunday. There are many variations of color and meaning but here’s what they symbolize for most:
The first candle, which is purple, symbolizes hope. ...
The second candle, also purple, represents faith. ...
The third candle is pink and symbolizes joy. ...
The fourth week of Advent, which is purple again, symbolizes peace…
A white candle is often placed in the middle of the wreath and lit on Christmas Eve. This candle is called the “Christ Candle.” This final candle is a more modern addition. The light we choose to carry. Let it shine. The incarnation of Christ that lives in and through us. As Richard Rohr says, “ The Universal Christ that is forever being born in the human soul and into history.”
*Full article from the CAC on Advent.
Whether an Advent practice is part of your faith journey or not, we can all agree that we need more of the light of Love shining through this often dark and frightening world. All true faiths understand the power of love and the power of light. May we join hands across our faith traditions to bring more light and love into this hurting world through our actions and contemplation.
Let us light our candles together, friends. Both in the material world and in the inner chambers of our hearts.
Each month, I am going to be giving a portion of the money earned through my paid subscriptions to a deserving organization. This month I will be donating to One Colorado
See you next month, friends — which synchronistically, is also next week! xo Mary
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Ready to write with us this winter through my 3-month program, Project 444 ?We begin Jan 14, 2023. No writing experience required! Write, heal and share your story in supportive and encouraging private community. More info? Click the button below.
And here’s what a few of this past year’s participants had to say about it.
I meant to also say that I’m grateful for my daily contemplative prayer practice and the CAC meditations/reflections.
I appreciate this reflection on wintering and Advent. I love the concept of wintering and really feel the pull to slow down at this time of year, but it's challenging to actually do it because I still work full time outside the home Monday through Friday. I would very much like to have more time to meditate, journal and read on a daily basis. In the meantime, I am grateful for my job which allows me to support my family and for being a Heart's Content subscriber.