Gather your important things. Put on your thick socks. A fluffy coat. A soft scarf. Maybe mittens. We are going on a walk. The door opens and the air is crisp and elevated, hitting the back of your throat all at once on the first breath…the brain immediately notified and every cell of the body enlivened. The sun above is still high but descending. These days are abbreviated, concentrated, like laser. Focus. One step at a time, now. Up the mountain slope. Into the trees. Into the beginning. But first through the end.
Keep going. Sound itself becomes more still, deeper and more challenging to locate. The beat of the heart grows louder in the silence. Is it your heart or the heart of something else? Something more ancient. Like Truth before words. Like space before birth. Like the vacuum of the inhale of Creation.
Keep going.
There it is. The cleft in the granite. The cavern. Time before time. Make your offering here on the snow before you enter. Your highest and most troublesome aspect. Your shadow and your light. The breath and your blood. Smooth or stuttered, let the mantra be given. Give away your judgment first. And then the defeats. Now, the victories. This year has been fruitful, yes? She will receive it all as good fortune. You are free now of your burdens. Clean of the praises that bind.
Are you ready, now? How long has it been since this reprieve? This surrender? Move one grateful footfall at a time into this womb. There is a fire deep in the interior. Mingmen, the flame of life. You will be bone deep warm, now. The floor is soft and lined in the finest fur. Do you remember it? Was it not so long ago?
Make yourself at home, dear traveler. All is cared for. All is done.
The last solar light drops away and the shadows play upon the deep red walls. Pictographic. Sensual. Nourishing. A most perfect sustenance bubbles over the hearth.
Stop now. Go still. Deeper, now. Yin within Yin. This is the place of the Mother. Your Mother. And she has been waiting here to love you. Enter here and become anew.
See you on the other side, Beloved.
Winter Tips to Deepen into Healing
- Prepare delicious food – Cooking warm foods creates a warm home. Soups, casseroles, and root vegetables are perfect this time of year.
- Practice Meditation– Meditating before the sun rises and sets, helps us to begin and end the day in a peaceful manner. An evening meditation also helps us access deep sleep.
- Indulge in evening baths– Experiencing an evening hot bath is a wonderful way to release the demands of the day.
- Find time outside alone– Breathing in mother nature and being in her presence automatically slows us down. Weather permitting, find some time to take a walk, cross country ski, hike, or tend to your garden.
- Journal – Journaling about anything and everything is so beneficial this time of year. Writing helps us to process our past experiences and dream of future possibilities.
- SLEEP– Sleeping during this time of year is key. Did you know the best time to make up a lack of sleep from earlier in the year is the Winter? Try to go to bed an hour earlier than usual and experience how quickly your body rehabilitates itself.