The Wintering Questions...

  You can listen to this post here:    How are you all doing out there? It’s been a swirling time. Ophelia made the force of nature very much known, and with more storms forecast for Ireland, the inward pull is even more alluring! So I am feeling very grateful to be back in the creative den, working on my new book, Home on the Edge, but also enjoying updating my online programmes, particularly Living Seasonally. The first flower bulb I ever planted was a hyacinth. I remember needing to leave it in pot under a dark shelf at the back of our primary school classroom. For a long while, nothing. I wondered if the bulb was ‘broken’, or if I had done something wrong. My teacher insisted on leaving it in the dark for longer. I waited, getting down on my knees to peer deep into the low shelf, ‘Are you alive in there?’I waited some more, and more. Then suddenly, one day, the growth. A shoot appeared, taller and taller until the bloom appeared, slowly at first, but then finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the opening. I had expected the bloom, but not the fragrance- the magnificent perfume that wafted into the room like an unexpected, welcome visitor. It was one of the closest things to magic I had ever experienced.It left an imprint: first the dark, then the blooming. For a long time after though I used to hate the winter. I hated how it slowed me down. I dreaded the long, dark evenings and I particularly wanted to avoid the commercialism of Christmas (especially when it all started to kick off in October)However, when I first started learning about the Celtic calendar,  and the seasonal wisdom of my ancestors, there was a remembering and an inner awakening to the knowledge that the celtic new year begins just after Hallowe’en, or Samhain, in the darkness. Just was it was for that hyacinth, the darkness is the beginning. Yes, first the dark, then the blooming.Now, I can honestly say that I look forward to winter. I’m still not a huge fan of the dark evenings, but I do have a new appreciation for what that darkness brings- space for reflection, contemplation and deep creativity, and in it’s own time and place, the blossoming. I realise that winter has many gifts, if I care to stop and appreciate them, and also offers wonderful metaphors to work with, helping me tune in with my deeper longings and callings, and to plan from there. When I honoured the seasonal cycle of time and energy, I knew I was honouring my own inner cycles and wisdom and when I stopped resisting and trying to run away from the dark, and instead sought its refuge and sanctuary, then I found more flow and acceptance in my day to day life. It’s these learnings and more which I have taken into Living Seasonally, designing a course to help us all cope with the increasingly busy and stormy days- internally and externally.Over the course of 10 days we work through a seasonal planner, accompanied with journalling practices, creative exercises, reflections, meditations and questions which help us to harness our own inner wisdom. By the end of the course, participants have a clear plan for the season ahead, based on their inner dreams, callings and longings.I am delighted to say that the next Winter edition starts on Nov 1st, and registration is now open. I’ve made video to explain some more. Please get in touch if you have any questions- I’d love to have you on board!(For those of you who have already taken the course, I’ve made a few developments to this one- the course is a bit longer, and also will incorporate fresh meditations, reflections and creative activities- in all a deeper and more robust process- plus fun too!)Until soon friends.. I’ll be sharing more creative practices and tools with you over the coming weeks, so stay tuned.Clare. xx