A Winter Call for Clearing
Welcoming January, Releasing What No Longer Serves
Dear Friend,
Happy New Year! Whether you live in a warm climate or one even chillier than mine, we can open to winter as a metaphor: the time when nature is still, bears and seeds deep beneath the soil are sleeping, when the dark nights inspire dreams and rest.
In the landscape around me, the sky has been bright blue, the air crisp with cold and the tree branches have their moment to emanate beauty.
First as I was out walking, I noticed them barren of leaves. Then I started focusing on what we can see with the leaves cleared away. How magnificent these trunks and branches are!
These bare trees inspire me to consider what things I might want to clear out of my inner landscape this month: old energies, behaviors and thought patterns that no longer serve me.
I wonder about what I might discover as I clear space and become like one of these trees.
Thank you to everyone who shared feedback with me about year one of Journey With The Seasons! I’ve updated our monthly format for year two. Each month, we’ll continue to explores a theme connected to the season. The month of creative prompts will offer you different portals to access your intuition and inner wisdom:
Week One–Drafting Intentions for the Month;
Week Two–Exploring Signs, Symbols & Metaphors;
Week Three–Reading & Writing Poetry inspired by the theme;
Week Four–Igniting Imagination with Guided Meditation.
Some months have an extra Sunday–I’ll surprise you with some extra magic on those weeks.
Think of these creative tools are your passport to unlocking your inner landscape and discovering new horizons of creativity. Get set to explore! Please invite any friends who might like to join us.
Writing Practice: Set aside 5-7 minutes for this practice. Write in a journal or open a ‘Journey with The Season’ document where you can return each Sunday.
Prompt: Let’s start our month of clearing by writing our January intentions & prayers. Write your wishes for the month ahead, include anything that bubbles up that you hope to clear. Express your gratitude & desires. Express your prayers for yourself, for your loved ones, for the earth, for people across the world.
Some phrases to get you started:
This January, I am seeking…
I feel thankful for…
I am leaving behind…
I hope to release…
I ask for…
It’s safe to clear away…
Place your January prayer/intentions somewhere you’ll see it as you start your day. You could adorn it with drawings, doodles, photos of the landscape around you.
I’d love to read your expressions. Leave a comment here or email me your response at gabriellekm@gmail.com.
Deepening Practice: Listen to this amazing podcast featuring authors Anne Lamott and Neal Allen about taming your inner critic. The inner critic can be a real jerk when we’re creating! Maybe the inner critic is something you hope to clear. Take a listen and journal about what comes up for you. Let me know what you think!
Forget the ‘happily every after’ myth we’ve been sold. The magic and richness in our lives comes when things fall apart and break open.
In this four-session writing circle, we’ll read poetry about inner journeys, discoveries and transformations. We’ll write about the beauty of the cracks in our lives, inspired by Leonard Cohen’s ‘Anthem’, There is a crack in everything…that’s how the light gets through.Â
In the heart of winter, you’ll have the chance to express your dreams, hopes and what’s stirring inside you. I hope you’ll join us!
For Journey with the Seasons Subscribers, I’m happy to offer a $7 discount code/enter at checkout: efyy8gna.
Sending you a week of love & spaciousness! Gabrielle Ariella