Happy Winter Solstice!
It’s time for our Seasonal Self-Gift Registry. We have entered into the season of Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. It arrived on little cold toes, here, on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at 4:47 p.m., EST. For our friends in other regions, I invite you to apply the seasonal gift registry to your anticipated season.
Decades ago, I started the idea of a self-Gift Registry at the beginning of each season. The gifts are experiential and earn you as many Enchanted Keys as possible. Here’s how it works: You set aside some time to quiet yourself and meditate on the upcoming season. Make it ten to twenty minutes. Immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures of the season. Then you schedule moments to experience these things on the calendar so you feel abundant at the close of the season. Grant yourself Enchanted Keys to: Mindfulness, Altered Perceptions, Journaling, Sensory Experiences, Reduced Clutter, Humor, Movement, Art, Nature, and Meditation.
Meditation: Find a comfortable position. It might be in front of a fireplace, as you enjoy a crackling fire or watch the flame from a burning candle. Maybe you will choose a walking meditation and listen to the crunch of snow under your boots or perhaps you will select a view of the winter scape from a window, or imagine one, if. You reside in warmer climates.
Take a few deep, cleansing breaths and exhale fully. As your physical body relaxes, envision winter. What sensory experiences speak to you of the season where you live? Traditional winter images for many include snow-laden pine trees, cold hands wrapped around steaming mugs of hot chocolate, animal tracks on fresh snow and stillness to the landscape.
Let your sense-memory shift to the sounds of winter that bring you joy, laughter or peace. You might recall the voices of loved ones anticipating a gift exchange or a family meal in years past. Maybe you savor the sound of cardinals at the feeder, while seeing their vibrant red color highlighted against a backdrop of snow. Do you like the sound of the winter wind blowing ice crystals against your windowpane?
Drift to the smells of the season. Traditional holiday foods evoke strong memories. Which are your favorites? Crisp air, pine and mulberry are glorious scents of winter.
Taste the season. Roasted chestnuts, stews and hearty soups take center stage. Chanukah latkes or Christmas ham may star in your senses. Cookies, peppermint candy canes and sweet treats are celebrated at this time of year. Eggnog makes its annual appearance.
What winter textures do you enjoy? Thick wool socks and cozy knitted scarves? Knobby designs on soft, comfy blankets? Fleece-lined sweatshirts? How about the warm fur of your pet nestled against you?
Winter will end as spring begins, on Monday, March 20, 2023, at 5:24 p.m. ET. Take yourself to the end of the season and consider what you will have missed if you don’t experience it. Then make a plan to do those things.
Schedule them on your calendar or the Dragons will make you forget that you ever dreamt of them. This is the gift you register to receive from yourself with this meditation. Journal about what’s on your calendar to savor this season.
Enjoy. Be safe. Stay well.