Down with the rosemary and bay
Down with the mistletoe
Instead of holly, now upraise
The greener box to show
Those times do shift, those times do shift
Each thing its time doth hold
New things succeed, new things succeed
As former things grow old
- Kate Rusby
Hello you,
I can feel January coming to a close. And I think I am almost ready to fully leave behind the cocoon that is this month. I am ready to begin to finally put away the last of the holiday moments and prepare myself to bravely commit to the unfolding of this year. I am still deeply rooted in my winter’s nest for now, but I know that soon, very soon, I will be ready to begin to stir, and awaken, and fully step into this new year.
However, I do not really have a firm grip on what 2025 will be yet or how it will feel. I actually think that it is very hard to define a year by its beginning in January. And, even February is too soon, for that matter. It takes a while for the year to begin to unfold, just as it takes a while for nature to wake from winter and shift into spring.
I do know how this January has felt so far, though. And, for me, it has been a wild mix of slow, restful moments of solitude in my winter’s nest, navigating my return to inspiring, but exhausting work, and a whole lot of dark, chaotic global worry.
I have done my best to embrace and be present in whatever energy has come my way from week to week this month. From the cozy holiday mood of early January’s threshold, to the wild hunger and exhaustion of the full wolf moon, to the reminder of the need for slow, deep, inspiring rest all month long, to this past week - filled with a frightening shift in global politics which will likely affect most of us in one way or another.
Still, time marches on. January is soon coming to a close. And change is inevitable.
Speaking of change… sometimes we long for it, sometimes it steals away our safety and knocks us off our feet. But, I have found that if I try to live from day to day and season to season, I may just find that I can better accept and embrace change, even when it feels frightening and threatening. Somehow, I think that focusing on the present guides me to face the whatever change comes my way because I know and trust in the cyclical movement of nature and of life. Focusing on the details of the present day actually helps me to zoom out, trust the process, and see the bigger picture.
I find comfort in knowing that, if the moment is tough, it will not last. And also remembering that, if I am experiencing the height of bliss, to pause and soak it all in as it is occurring. Because nothing lasts. All of life is movement and evolution. All of life is birth, fullness, death, and rebirth/renewal.
And, that helps me move through this month, prepare for the next, and face the reality of this world in which we live right now.
It really is all about the cycles and rhythms of life. Daily, monthly, annually, throughout one’s own life, and throughout all of history. My hope is that we evolve, transform, and continue to change as the years pass - learning and growing from each monthly and seasonal cycle, from each rotation around the sun, from each decade - so that we are becoming more and more of who we are meant to be and closer to creating the world of justice and peace that I deeply believe is possible.
The week ahead is filled with big, powerful releasing energy. January is waning, as is the moon, which will be dark and new on Wednesday, ushering in a new moon cycle. Wednesday is also the Lunar New Year, bringing us the energy of the snake. A year that just might be all about rebirth, transformation, and healing - all symbols and energies of the snake.
Amazingly, the card I pulled for this week, leaves, seems to give the same energy of renewal, transformation, and healing. And, even though we are months and months away from leaves on the trees here is Sweden, it is the perfect card for carrying me through this last week of January.
Like the ending of one month, the return of the new moon phase, and the snake, leaves are a reminder of cycles. They are a symbol of life at its fullest. But, also a reminder that nothing lasts, that the rhythms and seasons are constantly shifting and unfolding.
At this time of the year, when there are no leaves on the trees, except a few evergreens, I believe that this card shares a message of preparation for the festival of Imbolc on Saturday. A sign that we are soon entering the beginning of the season of early spring. After the fallow period of late autumn and winter, where all is silent and bare and at rest, the time of renewal and revival is soon upon us.
As this week unfolds, it is my intention to simply be aware and present. To watch the sunrise and sunset times, noticing the lengthening days. To celebrate rituals of meditation and journaling under the dark new moon. To tap into the wisdom, intuition, and mystery of the year of the snake. To prepare for a quiet, solitary home Imbolc ceremony next weekend. To release the deepest days of darkness and begin to ease into a new month. To soak in the last, quiet January nights of silence and solitude.
Soft, gentle change is on the way this week, my friend. A quiet stirring and awakening. And, even when there is harsh, painful change also present, like we are experiencing in the world right now, I choose to rest in the present moment. I seek out inspiration and hope in others who share courageous messages of grace and mercy, like Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde who spoke deep truth to power to Donald Trump this past week. And I commit to finding the ways that I can do the same in the communities in which I am a part. For, it is here, in the present moment of where we live our lives, that we create gentle spaces of hope for us all as life unfolds one season at a time.
Today is what is most important. Making a difference, being present, creating space for love and mercy and inclusion (for ourselves and for others) in whatever ways I can. That’s what matters.
But, remembering the cycles of life and history, the arc of justice, and the evolution of humanity, also help me to keep a vision of hope for the future.
Wishing you a most powerful week of deep presence as we move through shifting energies and seasons. Blessed new moon, Lunar new year, and Imbolc, my friend.
xoxo. liz.
🌙 Sacred Days + Folk Festivals this week
29 January - New Moon
29 January - Lunar New Year: year of the snake
01 February - Imbolc
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