~by Ruth West
The Direction is North on the Medicine Wheel. Bear invites you into his cave to hibernate.
It is time to rest and let your mind, body, and spirit heal.
Modern Danes have left a pair of warm socks for you in a basket by the door. Come sit by a cozy fire with family. Watch the flames as they leap forward, and then retreat. Let candles carry Light into dark winter months.
Bring something from Nature’s bounty to the table – perhaps a small bowl of pine-cones, or acorns, or a tiny dish of simple stones found waiting for you outside. Savor the colors, the shapes, the sizes, and how each is a unique gift.
Pick up a copy of the lovely slim volume, “The Little Book of Hygge – Danish Secrets to Happy Living” by Meik Wiking” and read it in bed with a cup of herbal tea and a knitted blanket.
Now is the time for comfort food. Above all, keep things simple. This is the season for creating small rituals – brewing real tea to pour into a delicate china cup, putting real flowers on the table, enjoying a platter of warm bread, a variety of good cheeses, and good conversation with friends, mailing a little thank-you note to someone you love just to say “thank-you” for being in your life.
Ancient Mayans whisper to you across time and space - a Cacao ceremony to help you find clarity and awareness. Prepare Cacao, then clear your personal area with sage or palo santo. While holding your cup, connect to your heart chakra. Breathe deeply, feel your gratitude, and set an intention. Feel your intimate connection to Mother Earth and to the Web of Life. Slow down and go inside to examine your emotions. Sip deliberately. After the ceremony, Journal to explore what you have discovered about yourself and trust the guidance that comes to you.
~ Crone