This Winter, Reach into your Inner Life
Listen to your soul's yearning
Dear Friend,
Happy 2025! May this year be full of discoveries, growth and learning for us all and somehow, may peace increase across the world.
Much gratitude to everyone who completed my real brief feedback survey; it’s open for one more week. Find the survey here. Folks who respond will be entered into a drawing for one creativity coaching session with me.
This year in Journey With the Seasons, I’ll share a new theme each week grounded in the season, following this guide:
Winter is a time for resting and nourishing roots. Themes will include solitude, stillness, darkness, quiet and dreaming;
Spring is a time for directing energy to what’s emerging. Themes will include awakening, rebirth, possibility, emergence and courage;
Summer is a time for celebrating the sun and our fruits. Themes will include blossoming, fruition, celebration, abundance and radiance;
Autumn is a time for releasing and harvesting. Themes will include harvest, letting go, planting seeds, gratitude and transformation.
Every Sunday, you’ll receive a variety of prompts & practices for the week ahead. Guided meditations will arrive, too. Please share your feedback and let me know how this updated format works for you!
Onward to this week’s winter theme: solitude.
I spent New Year’s Eve at a farm just an hour from my home. The landscape was so different, it felt like I had traveled far away. The weather was in the 50s, making it comfortable to walk the trails around the property, take in the open skies and birds. I saw hawks, crows and vultures. Sunset and sunrise were magnificent. The owners of the farm rescue pigs, goats, sheep, hens, dogs, cats ducks, geese & peacocks. They’re really great people!
It was a quiet way to the enter 2025 and just what I needed. Those walks around the time gave me time to relax, meditate and imagine the coming year.
I have an aversion to New Year’s resolutions–not because setting goals or changing habits is wrong–I’m a big believer in that. It’s because in our Western culture, those resolutions generally come from outer pressure.
Imagine winter as a living time, carrying its own energy. That can shift the way we enter January. Just as some animals hibernate, winter can also be a season when we as humans feel a natural inclination to solitude. With shorter days and longer nights, winter is an ideal time to reach deep into our inner lives.
Listening to that inner call: what is your soul yearning for?
In the midst of our busy lives, it can be hard to make time to listen. May these prompts and practices bring you an opportunity to embrace some solitude and discover what’s waiting for you!
Writing Practice: Set aside 5-7 minutes for this practice. Write in a journal or open a ‘Journey with The Seasons’ document where you can return each Sunday.
Prompt: Consider ways you might slow down and find little moments for solitude this week. What benefits do you discover when you make time to turn inward?
Some phrases to get you started:
Moments of solitude offer me…
Entering the week, I wish for…
When I take time to listen to my soul, I find…
Or…write about Solitude signs and symbols. Are there solitary animals you connect to? Special places nearby where you find solitary space? A memory of how it felt to have ample solitary time? Describe what you’re imagining in sensory detail.
I would love to read your expressions. Feel free to comment below or use the messaging app to reach me.
Spiritual Practice for the week ahead:
Think of solitude as an art, a creative practice. Choose a simple activity, like making a cup of tea, taking a walk or drawing a bath and give yourself fifteen to thirty minutes once or twice during the week simply to be with your spirit. Turn ringers off, put away devices and see what happens. You might want to journal about it, too.
Wishing you a week with space to listen to your soul’s yearnings. With love, Gabrielle Ariella
Winter Creativity Recharge is coming! Join the fun.
Tuesdays, February 4, 11, 18 & 25, 7:00-8:15PM EST/ $90
Rejuvenate and replenish your creative spirit as we transition into the final stretch of winter! The long, dark nights can fuel our dreams and imagination, providing us with the opportunity to delve into our inner worlds and pour our thoughts onto the page.
Whether you’re dealing with a creative block or looking to enhance your creative energy, you’ll discover fun and easy ways to spark your imagination and get those creative juices flowing!
Register here. ‘Journey with the Seasons’ subscribers special offer! Take $7 off registration fee with this code: EFYY8GNA
Scholarship always available. All sessions recorded for your convenience.