Wintering
Winter is a discerning ruler of life and death with a surprising alchemy. It sends us on a journey which belies refinement and valor when we travel the path wisely. The dark and cold are a sharp knife that prunes and consolidates the life-force. This may feel harsh but it can clarify what is of essence and awaken our dreams. In winter, the element of fire stoked in the hearth, kindled in our bellies, and nested in starlight becomes central and sacred. If we weather winter well, we emerge more rooted, more resilient and more awake than when we began.
The warmth of a hearth, like the wolf’s hollows, draws loved ones close in building our strength through our social bonds. No doubt there is hardship through the dark days. Winter’s cutting blade frays nerves, fractures weak links, and tests temperaments of all living creatures. The whipping wind heightens vigilance; the cold sharpens the instinct to protect what matters. A potent remedy for this chaos is our connection. The social aspect of our nervous system cultivates closeness as a resource. Community is hardwired into our nervous system for survival and we have an innate capacity to co-regulate. Attuned connection sends a powerful signal of wellbeing through the body and mind. We drop out of fight-or-flight, vagal tone increases, and the body becomes more resilient to stress. Stress hormones like cortisol decrease, making way for an increase in restorative hormones, oxytocin and melatonin, supporting adrenal balance, deep sleep, and hormonal harmony. Co-regulation reduces anxiety, isolation, and rumination while increasing emotional capacity, and a sense of belonging. Sharing meals, walking with friends or attending a holiday party are so much more than entertainment. They are a foundational part of our seasonal apothecary. In winter, the bonds of the wolf pack tighten and interdependence becomes the key to survival. We too benefit when our winter hearths resemble the hollow of the wolf pack.
Hearty winter foods arrive in nature exactly when the body needs them. These seasonal foods boost our digestive capacity to their yearly peak, vitalizing us from the inside out. Our animal instincts send intelligent hunger messages from deep down in our bones. The cravings for rich, nutrient dense meats, oily broth and earthy squash build our blood, strengthen our marrow and nourish our kidneys for this winter and many winters in a life of longevity. When eaten at regular meal times, warm and spiced, these hearty foods actually stoke the digestive fire, boost metabolism and sustain optimal circulation. This keeps our blood warm, blood sugar level and mind and skin radiant. These seasonal foods ripen and are harvested just in time to boost the immune system through the cold and flu season. They buffer the nervous system and lull us into deep sleep for the long winter nights. When we eat seasonally, we are feeding the intelligence of Mother Nature who has an ancient way of tending to all living creatures especially through the dark times.
The long nights and starry skies are rejuvenative medicines for the nervous system in the modern era of overwhelm. The dark is a welcome respite from the sun’s command to grow and do. As the plants sleep in their roots under piled snow, we too are drawn deeper by the dark to rest and gestate. We can synthesize twelve hours of sunlight all year long but darkness is an essential part of our wholeness and our wellness. Darkness is the strongest cue to our light sensitive pituitary gland to release more melatonin for longer and deeper dreamtime. This human hibernation allows the body to shift into deeper repair and replenishment: immune cells strengthen, inflammation decreases, and our nervous system has time to unwind and repair. Melatonin stays in the bloodstream while we sleep, offering potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory protection while supporting emotional steadiness and dream-rich processing. Our metabolism also recalibrates, balancing appetite, blood sugar, and the energy we need to stay warm. Even the brain benefits, extended sleep boosts the glymphatic system, the nightly cleansing that clears waste and sharpens cognition. Darkness calls us into a receptive arc where healing is seeded. Through rest, the body refines our essence, honing the vital energy needed to manifest our creativity when spring returns.
There is a sacred art to wintering in rhythm with mother nature. In this season, certain limbs of our lives are pruned and aspects of who we believe we are can go dormant. Winter works on us from the inside; digesting what has been, unwinding and reforming in preparation for a new emergence in the spring. This kind of wintering cannot be measured by productivity or profit. Darkness is not meant to be visible or quantified; it is felt, dreamed, and inherently unknown. In these under-belly realms, the feminine takes the lead, weaving the subconscious into the conscious. This is a time to receive and to trust the mystery unfolding within.
