The first week of January is behind us. How are you feeling about it? Honestly, it doesn’t make sense to me to resolve to take on major changes, intentions, or resolutions in January.
Why? Because winter in general isn’t a nurturing environment for me. It’s dark and cold, my body aches, and I just want to hibernate under blankets until spring.
In past years, if I’ve set big goals or intentions for myself in January, I’ve usually failed by March. Instead of ignoring my body’s natural rhythm and forcing myself to follow the Gregorian calendar, I allow my spiritual growth cycles to follow the seasons.
Winter is a time for rest, to lie fallow. Spring is a time for new beginnings, to plant the spiritual seeds that will be harvested in the fall. Summer is a time for building consistency, nurturing and strengthening all that was planted in the spring. Autumn is when all the spiritual work bears fruit to be harvested. As autumn transitions to winter, rest and reflection take priority again.
If you’re just not feeling this whole New Year situation, I invite you to give yourself some space for rest and reflection now, focusing on the new in alignment with nature in the spring. Our society and economy run on the Gregorian calendar - your spiritual life doesn’t have to.