I have never been a lover of the dark, winter months. I don't really like this about myself, but it's how I am wired. My sister isn't affected as I am, I am always envious of that....her steadiness, her evenness. Happy in the sunshine, happy when it's grey. I often wonder what makes one predisposed to the lethargy I feel with the short and cold days of winter. Several years ago, a guy I was dating gave me a book, "The Mysteries of The Dark Moon." I still haven't read the entire book (as is the case with many books for me). I open it and read bits and pieces. It was a book that made me look at myself with more compassion, and to embrace the darkness, literally and figuratively. In the dark, rich soil of the earth, a seed is planted, so much energy, so much life inside the tiny seed. It needs that time, the darkness....to sprout in the spring.
I began "trying" to look at myself and my own life in a similar way. In the dark months, I tend to isolate more, go within myself, I write a lot, sleep too much, eat a little more than I should. I decided to use this time as a period of healing and introspection, instead of facing it with the dread that I had become all too familiar with. Let me say right here, I have not done this with any sort of perfection, but I have practiced being a bit more gentle with myself. I have dedicated time and energy to my yoga practice, more time reflecting on the things I would like to change about me and how to create the life I crave. Over time, the winter months aren't feeling like something to "get through", but rather a time to embrace and reflect. A time to let that energy go inward to grow something beautiful. I have been more mindful about my choices, using the darkness as a source of energy.
