Time of the Dreaming Bear

The Power of Wintering

Some indigenous people refer to the winter months as "the time of the dreaming bear." In the natural world, winter is a time for withdrawing, maximizing available resources, and like our friend the bear, vanishing from sight. It is a time of transformation. Author Katherine May, in her book, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, writes, "Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible." It's where the seeds of the future are nurtured. 

The term "wintering" is gaining more traction as a reminder that we might take a clue from indigenous people to tune into the cycles of nature. Rather than meeting the new calendar year with a flurry of resolutions that often burn out quickly, perhaps we could stop fighting the natural rhythm of winter. Perhaps we could continue to take time to slow down, get organized, define what is unclear, and plant our intentions for spring. Plants and animals don't fight the winter season. They adapt to it. They don't attempt to live the same way they do in summer. It is a time for rest and recuperation.

The Nature of Rest

When the calendar flips to the new year, it always feels a bit unnatural to me. I feel out of sync. Popular culture pushes me to celebrate, to make resolutions, and to get going with all this on January first. What my body and my mind really desire at that point is more rest. After the flurry of the holiday season, I feel like I'm actually just getting started with real rest and time for reflection. I usually take the entire month of January to keep a slower pace and allow myself time to reflect on the previous year and set goals for the new year, which to me, begins with spring. 

In spring, the bear emerges from its den hungry, thirsty, and ready to engage with the world. That's how I want to be, but it won't happen if I don't take time to rejuvenate and rededicate myself to my intentions. Just like a caterpillar must enter its cocoon and basically turn into a pile of goo before it transforms into a different creature, I must allow myself space for nature to work its magic. This  means making sure I get a good night's sleep, clearing out time for reflection, and meditation, and giving myself permission to do nothing from time to time. Rest is not idle. It's where some of our best and most creative ideas are born.

The Beauty of Stick Season

Katherine May writes, "Life meanders like a path through the woods. We have seasons when we flourish and seasons when the leaves fall from us, revealing our bare bones. Given time, they grow again." My daughter calls winter "stick season." She loves the outline of the bare branches against the winter sky and finds much beauty in them. It's her favorite time of year. It can be like that for us, too, if we take the time to find the beauty in dormancy and rest. Ask yourself," Am I getting enough rest to do my most meaningful work?" As author and researcher Brene Brown says, in a culture where exhaustion is often seen as a status symbol, rest can be a difficult thing to allow ourselves. It takes courage.

Did you know that trees grow their buds for spring before winter arrives? Then they only need to rest when the long nights come. Nature will teach you everything you need to know if you just pay attention. You already have everything you need inside you. Spring is coming. You will bloom at the right time. For now, rest.