The Energy of Winter

Greetings beloveds,

Here’s a revised version of the energy of Winter. Enjoy!

Winter – A time of rest where we set our intentions, hopes, and goals for the upcoming time of movement during the spring. A time for personal development, to heal, do shadow work, and get in touch with your emotions through physical movement and the body. Winter gives us a chance to create plans, gather information, and design an action plan.

According to the Chinese five elements system, winter is associated with the element of water. Water is a conduit of energy associated with adaptability and fluidity due to its ability to shift it’s form depending on the environment in which it finds itself. Water is an abundant element within our world. In fact, our physical bodies and the Earth are composed mostly of water. How well do you understand yourself in relationship to the water of this world as well as your body? Winter provides the perfect opportunity for you meditate on these questions and study the element of water.

Spending time in nature also provides many lessons about the process of creating life. During the winter, the Earth in that hemisphere is in hibernation.  It appears to be inactive and still. The stillness draws us in, encouraging us to want to better understand ourselves as well as the world around us. Although it seems that the world is still during this time, it is actively growing within its womb the manifestations of life to come forth in the spring. Do you remember how a seed grows? The warm earth combined with the moisture of the soil interacts with the needs of the seed to slowly pull the life from within it’s shell. The Earth nurtures that life until the world above it has shifted to provide an environment through which the plant can thrive. Over the years we have shifted our attention and respect away from the Earth and its feminine energy to the Sun as the masculine. We shy away from the Earth’s time, just as we shy away from the power of the Divine Feminine’s shadow side. Learning to love the Earth, particularly during the colder months, is one way to access the feminine and to understand how she functions, loves, manifests, and creates change.

New Years-Winter Solstice

Those who follow a Wiccan or Celtic path may honor the new year during Samhain as that is when the veils between the worlds are thinnest. As a Priestess of the Dark Goddess though, winter solstice is the perfect time to commune with the Divine while you are within the underworld. This is also a great time to design your intentions, goals, and plans for the next year. As the longest night of the year, the extended period of darkness corresponds with the depths of our subconscious. Our subconscious holds our deepest desires and unconscious drives. Through exploration of these aspects of ourselves we can determine the path through which we can heal and grow to achieve our dreams.

Here’s an example of how I prepare for the upcoming year using ritual and tarot/oracle cards. During my Winter Solstice ritual I enjoy using a tarot deck in a Celtic cross spread to understand the main focus of the upcoming year. Then I use an oracle deck for a seasonal spread to get an idea of what my main focus for each season will be. I pull 5 cards, the first card representing the general energy of the next year, then a card for each season. For example, in 2017 my general energy was Hekate and Illumination through a journey in the Underworld. Then as every season changes during the upcoming year I pull new cards. One new general energy reading and three more for each month in that season. This system allows for me to remain engaged in my spiritual practice throughout the year without getting overwhelmed with a large ritual every time the season changes.

How do you flow with the season during the winter? What are you rituals for Winter Solstice?

-Rose