The perfect energy to begin a meaningful holiday season 🥶
Welcome to A Deep December: Mini-letter #1
It’s here! December has arrived and it is time to begin my 15 days (I’ll be writing every other day) of mini-letters to you throughout December. And I am soooo excited.
I suppose that this is actually my way of making sure that I keep things slow this month. I intend for it to be a kind of spiritual practice meant to ground me, calm me, and inspire me. An every other daily ritual, in other words. Because if there’s one thing that I feel every year about December, it is that it can get so crazy filled with stuff and activities that I miss the depth of it all. And all I really ever want to do is to slow down and soak in every single magical moment. I want to make December meaningful.
Luckily, December is filled with plenty of traditions, rituals, celebrations, and opportunities for finding meaning . It is a rich, deep, spiritual month with themes and messages reaching us from the ancient festivals of the past and the wisdom of our ancestors.
I like to think that these December mini-letters are my contribution in 2023 to the long history of all kinds of people seeking a meaningful rhythm to the holiday season. Whether my Deep December letters will stand the test of time and remain or be remembered anywhere or by anyone remains to be seen, however. But, I write not for the past or for the future. I write for here and now. I seek meaning and peace and comfort in this present season. I align with the rhythms of nature this month and celebrate the deep meanings of December for today’s world.
Anyway, I am so happy you are here to journey with me. My gratitude is overflowing because of your presence. As I sit here on this cozy Saturday morning, I truly feel that we are gathered in spirit, across space and time.
So, welcome, my friend. Settle in. It’s time for December’s message for today.
For each of these Deep December letters, I am pulling one of my Native Spirit oracle cards. I do not pull cards to predict the future. Instead, I use the cards as inspiration. I let my intuition guide me to listen to what my soul is whispering to me. Whenever I turn over a card, I note the immediate feeling, thought, and mood that I feel. And then I just sit with it for a while. Almost always, I know exactly what the card is saying to me. And, then I sit a little more, letting that message sink in as energy to carry with me.
Today, I turned over the Spirit Keeper of the North card. And I cannot express with words how absolutely perfect this card is for this first Deep December letter - and for the beginning of December in general.
In many native cultures, the four directions represent four different energies. The north is the direction of winter. It symbolizes the darkest time of night, the coldest time of the year. It is associated with endings, elder wisdom, and creatures of the night, such as owls and wolves.
The message of this card, and one of the deeper meanings of December, is to turn inward. This is a time for contemplation. For listening in the silence. It is the perfect time for going within, incubating new ideas, taking up meditation, connecting with ancestors, and allowing dreams and plans to rise up from within. There is nothing to do right now, though. This is a time to just be. To drop into the cold energy of the north. And to find magic in the darkness.
Sometime over the next 2 days, step outside at night (the later, the more magical) and face north. Breathe in the crisp, fresh December air. Open yourself to the energy and the spirit of the north1. And welcome December into your soul.
How do you feel as December begins? What does the spirit of the north mean to you?
See you on Monday. Until then, stay cozy, my friend.
xoxo. liz.
If you live in the southern hemisphere, face the south and soak in the midday sun. Feel the energy of life and light warming your body and soul. ☀️
This is a great way to start December. I am looking forward to following your newsletters to add to my own deeper, more meaningful winter and holiday season. Thank you !
Oh this is so beautiful, what a gorgeous and evocative way to step into this magical month. The North says ‘earth’ to me and deeply relates to roots, bones, ancestry, the cold, support and foundations xx