The Garden is still. A few weeks ago, I could sit and be surrounded by humming, buzzing, and birds fluttering back and forth. It was not still and withdrawn like now. It was green and full of life! You do not see the busy highway of insects, by air or land, crossing your path through the garden. Instead, the greens are turning brown, and the branches, once crowned with leaves, fruit, or flowers…all fading away until only a skeleton of the plant remains.
The rain has come. The cold has come. There are only a few hours to even enjoy the daylight, and if you are lucky, the Sun may peek out from time to time before the night falls once again. It is no wonder why many people get depressed this time of year and into January. It is the dark, cold, and dampness that seems to penetrate every cell, and we yearn for warmth and activity once again. But there is beauty to this darkness that I think doesn’t get enough attention. Yes, summer is fantastic and walking barefoot on the grass is one of my greatest pleasures, but if we take advantage of these dark months, we might find out more about ourselves than a hundred days at a sunny beach.
It is time to look UNDERNEATH the garden. The plants appear to be dying or dead, but it is only the outer layers that are going away. Underneath the dead leaves and cold ground, life is held, nourished, and protected. This is nature’s example to us of the importance of taking time to hibernate, to go inward and do some very critical reviewing and re-thinking of the past and the future. It isn’t always the most pleasant or exciting thing to do, but important. Why? To grow bigger and stronger for the next season of life.
Not every plant will survive winter. I have had plants that got damaged from too much rain or extreme cold. It happens. But what survives comes back bigger, fuller, and stronger than the previous year. It is as if the garden goes into itself. It rests and allows the past summer to fall away. And so should we. We can use this time to do the same.
What kind of proclamations or promises did we make to ourselves at the beginning of this year? How did a New Year’s resolution turn out? Did we stick with our goals? It is time to evaluate the steps we have taken. Were our choices good and sound, or were they made from a place of fear or doubt? What outcomes have we had to deal with according to our choices? Re-thinking our steps forward, ensuring that we are going in the direction that is led by soul and not ego. What were our goals or things we wanted to change at the beginning of the year? If we lost momentum through the months that followed, what caused it? And if we did better than we anticipated, what made that difference? To hibernate means honesty with yourself. We get down to the bare bones of who we are and what we want to become. Because although we can find ourselves in this darkness thinking that maybe we didn’t make every goal we had set out to meet. Maybe we didn’t lose the weight we wanted to, or keep that exercise routine, or get that new house or car. Whatever the goal, the meat and potatoes of life is the journey to the goal. I know…its been said a thousand times, it’s the journey and not the destination that matters most. The destination gives us direction, and what occurs between A and Z is the story. And the story reveals to us what aligned with the destination or what completely derailed us and put us going the opposite way we intended to go. That is why the season of winter is perhaps the most welcoming to soulful contemplation and re-assessment.
We can be harsh on ourselves and make strong judgements about how our life may appear, at this moment, and feel that we didn’t accomplish what we wanted or needed to. Go underneath this image of yourself. Throughout this year, there have been mistakes; sure, nobody is perfect. But underneath, you see where you went that extra step, you took that chance that you never did before, you went a bit farther than you thought you could.
Remember that this is a process. Winter lasts more than a day, a week, or month. Take time. Find gentleness in this process, no need for rash and quick assessment. The warmth of a new cycle will eventually come and if we take this time for ourselves, we will greet it with fresh optimism and hope for our journey ahead. Like the garden, we will come back bigger and fuller than before.
Do you not realize that you are healing?
Even in your sadness, you are coming into the Light.
Even in your anger, you are resolving conflicts that are deep within you.
Even in your fear, you are finding courage.
Do you not realize you are healing?
Even in times of separation, you are completed.