News

Hi BLW Lovees!

I apologize for not updating more often. I will soon be blogging on a really fantastic new site–once that’s up and running you may have more of my blogging than you can handle!

Now on to the topic of this blog…

One of my mentors once told me that in the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico, November through March is the “time of no forward motion.” This means that during this time of year, the people of this pueblo spend this time going inward, resting, dreaming, and completing what they have started rather than start something new.

In nature, as well, things quiet down. Most mammals are resting and restoring. Trees appear dead. Nights are long and days are short.

Rather than take a cue from our environment, most of us spend our winter running ourselves ragged, buying gifts and overeating in November and December, then tethering ourselves to resolutions and treadmills in January and February, in between bouts of winter colds and flus. Many people suffer from debilitating seasonal affective disorder, feeling depressed throughout much of the winter.

I have a theory that much of the stress we experience during the winter is a result of us not acknowledging what winter means. We carry within us an ancestral desire for a certain type of winter — warming our feet by the fire, drinking and eating warm, satisfying foods, looking out a window at the stars as we drift off to sleep.

Take a few minutes now to dream up your ideal winter. Would you go to bed soon after it gets dark? Would you eat more soups and stews and cooked vegetables and less salads? Would you write down your nightly dreams rather than your daily resolutions?

Pick 3 things from your list and incorporate them into the next 2 months. Feel free to let me know where this experiment takes you. If it takes you to right where you are, that is perfect.