A time to celebrate colour and light, and to nurture the positive growth that can occur in the shelter of darkness.
As the daylight hours fall – traditional celebrations of light are no accident. They celebrate the transition from harvest into fallow time; they remember the stories around life and death and our natural human fears. Winter was a time of relative hardship to our ancestors. Achieving warmth, connection and safety were key aspects to survival, and the long hours of relative darkness invited a time of reflection and pause.
Whilst Nature is settling and preparing for the low light and colder times ahead, the glorious autumn colours are caused by nutrients returning to the tree prior to each leaf being shed. The mat of fallen leaves provides shelter for small creatures and replenishes the soil ready for spring. Under the surface worms are toiling, seeds starting to vernalise and roots are spreading and strengthening.
The winter “fallow time” is an opportunity for hidden growth and deeper preparation. Celebrating light and darkness helps us to remember what is important.
So what do you have in mind for yourself as “active fallow time”?
Purposeful allocation of time for pausing has great power.
What things are “lights” in your life which you can gift yourself time to enjoy or celebrate? What activities, or nutrients can you hold as “little lanterns” to lead you through the winter?
How can you realistically give yourself INTENTIONAL time to pause and replenish?
Following nature’s example, now is a good time to celebrate habits which you can build into your week to sustain you through winter:
- To nurture your physical health
- To boost your emotional wellbeing
- To feed your creative self
I am going to:
- Make certain I get daylight on my face for at least 10 minutes every day – ideally before midday. If this involves taking some exercise, all the better.
- Take a few slow breaths and pause each day to notice the Autumn colours and other changes in nature as the season shifts – even if it’s only when I sit in my car before heading to work.
- Get out whenever I can to connect with what nature has to offer: I have gifted myself some time for sketching (trees and corvids this week: quite halloween appropriate, I thought – photo attached). Even when I don’t actually put pen or brush to paper, I count this as purposeful time – my “active fallow time”…
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
Upcoming About Wellbeing Retreats
Spaces now available for our 2025 retreats. Get in touch if you want to find out more.
