Stirrings.
January takes its name from Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings. He had two faces so he could see the future and the past! He was also the god of doors.
Winter light.
Naked trees and bright moons.
Dark skies and stars.
Quieten
rest in the stillness
Ice and snow
swirl and whirl
Breathe slow.
Settle.
Cwtch in
Blankets and candles.
journals and books.
lamplight and shadows.
Fire
Drop.
the seeds are held deep in the earth.
Rest in the mystery
place of all possibility.
Give yourself up to deep nourishment
In the fertile cauldron of the earth.
The forces of nature soften your shell.
Time and no time.
Time out of time.
Sleep and Dream.
Capricorn Earth and Water
Practical
Work is going on
12-2am
Deep sleep know that stuff is happening
Trust
Drop out of bottom of out breath
Winter solstice – Jan 21st / end of lunation 1st Feb Chinese New Year
Low energy
Suspended energies going in both directions light is rising but temperature dropping
Rest
Imbibation
let yourself be worked on by unseen processes
Quiescence Be still
Dormancy anything but dormant
Water coming in
Chemicals changing
Let all this seasonal stuff wash over/through me
Cauldron
The silentness of snow never fails to amaze me
Falling so thick and fast yet without the slightest sound
I watch its fat flakes so white against the darkest of skies
With only the naked winter trees to bear witness
And us.
It is so beautiful
I have been like a kid at Christmas awake all night checking
peeking through the curtains
Filled with anticipation
To see if it was here.
It’s coming down thicker and heavier now
Carpeting the earth
Muffling the earth.
And now the clouds move on and the light changes
The world emerges in all its details
A cluster of jackdaws settling in the top of the old Ash
And a child’s giggles greeting the world.
Heavy, Dark and Slow
Are such negatively charged words
It is such a shame
They offer so many of their own delights
Just as many as Light and Quick
If only we could learn to appreciate the full Yin Yang circle
In its fullness, both sides and all that’s in between.
To paraphrase….
‘Every season is the best season for the uncluttered mind’
Lying here in a warm nest of blankets
Accompanied by two dozing cats
And watching the weather on this wintry morning
Comes close to bliss
But then I find watching the weather unclouds the mind in every season.
I can’t move
The silence is almost deafening
My deepest being just yearns to sit here
in the bare naked silence of this moment
And revel in it
Let’s it’s fullness, or emptiness, envelop me
Wash over and through me,
Cleanse me
Hold me.
My ears open open open
Broadening my mind
And my whole body follows suit
Releasing its inward clenching.
The settled snow picks out and defines
The upper surface of the trees outstretched branches
Only at this time of year, do we get to admire this exquisite architecture.
A dog gambols and races excitedly through the falling snow
Joy & exhilaration in motion
While the cats stay curled and cosy
There are many ways to make the most of any season.
And not all is entirely quiet…..
January also contains the first signs of spring deep within her breast,
with the beginning of the dawn chorus.
As the birds register the gradually increasing daylight,
Light detecting cells triggering hormones to prepare them for the breeding season.
The most formidable territorialists, the Robin & the Wren are in song before the year turns.
Joined by the Blue, Great & Coal Tits in the first week of January,
& Day-by-day the Dunnock, Song Thrush & Starling join them.
Their song cuts the ribbon for the beginning of spring
Until by the end of the month, the blackbird with its fabulous rich contralto, sounds the klaxon.
