In Chinese medicine, the movements of the Seasons are viewed as a pattern or expression of the movement of Life itself. And, in this cosmology, that Life movement is reflected in the largest of things and the smallest of things- from the movement of the galaxies to the movement within one cell. As Lao Tzu, the father of Daoism, is purported to have asked, “How do I know about the world?” and answered, “By what is within me”. William Blake, in the opening lines of ‘Auguries of Innocence,” poetically acknowledges this same dynamic:

‘To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.”

In more modern philosophical terms we speak of the microcosm within the macrocosm or vice versa.

So let’s take a look at the spirit of this Season of Winter and explore how the awareness of this movement within ourselves might inform and impact our lives. In very broad terms, we can observe that all of the life activity we have seen expressed in the height of the Summer Season has retreated underground. It is as if all of the Summer energy has drained slowly down during the fall and now lies dormant, quietly resting and waiting for the initiating movement of the Spring. What we see above ground is the revelation of the essence of things, the bones, stripped bare, stark and exposed. We see the dark silhouette of the tree branches against the sky and more of the Earth herself as ground vegetation has thinned and withered.

Animal life has retreated and has become subterranean as well, moving deeply into hibernation in many cases. The ability of an animal to slow its life processes way down and to live off of the accumulated energy of the previous seasons beautifully represents the sprit of this transition into the winter.

From these observations of the natural World it is easy to see the pattern of Life’s movement. Winter is a time for deep rest and renewal, where Life’s activities and routines are minimized to the bare essentials and what energy is required is often stored away in the animal’s lair or own body. All of the intense, visible activity of the Summer has retreated and moved underground to be held as potential until the first stirrings of rising energy in the Spring. From this perspective, it becomes clear that this restful, reformative stage is essential for Nature’s balance, and that a diminishment of this cycle has drastic

consequences for Life’s ability to recover. It is not hard to see how subsequent seasons would be affected by this disconnection from deep and adequate resources.

For the human kingdom this season asks us to also move within. How comfortable are we to take this dive to the interior, to touch the deep resources within ourselves?  Our culture does not always honor and respect this slowing down and reflective time. Our esteem is often so dependent on our accomplishments that to enter the spirit of the Winter season within brings fear; fear that we are not enough in our Being and we are only defined by what we produce. How many times have you heard from a friend, “I am not comfortable sitting still” or “I have to have the radio or TV on all of the time”, or perhaps more basically, “I am not comfortable within my own skin”.

From an oriental perspective our ability to be active and productive is directly related to our capacity for stillness. Our activity can be unfocused, frenzied and ungrounded unless it is tempered by this capacity for stillness. It is as if all of our Doing slowly orbits around the center pivot of our Being, the way the North Star is the pivot for the movement of the heavens. The quality of our Doing is tethered and rooted in our Being.

From a practical viewpoint, western culture faces a unique challenge at this time of year; yes, that would be the Christmas season. Shortly before and after the Winter Solstice we face a time of excess and are often depleted on many levels by our participation in this holiday. We often spend our financial and emotional resources at this time, find ourselves consuming more alcohol and sugar and getting less sleep. In general, we put great taxation on our body/mind/spirit and wonder why after the holidays are long gone that we never have really quite recovered. And yet, we still must endure the coldest part of the Winter with our reserves often seriously impaired. Come Spring, when we are called to emerge from our hibernation and break into the world with new plans and enthusiasm and move towards the increasing Light, we can feel tired and listless. This new emerging Spring growth within us has no reserves to draw upon, and therefore struggles to move up and out and into the world. As this cycle is often repeated winter after winter it is easy to see how, over time, our deepest reserves become compromised.

To honor the spirit of this season is not a question of only changing our Winter behavior. It is a much larger question of how we begin to shift our perspective to honor our capacity of Being in the world. Can we acknowledge our own value and that of others unrelated to our production?  Can we become more conscious of our prejudice towards valuing Doing over Being?  As our awareness changes we might discover ways in the rhythms of our days and hours to slow down, to take the time to reflect and look within and really rest within ourselves. Begin to notice how taking this time affects the quality of your work and relationships.

Our lives are able to flourish when we are attentive to and in alignment with these natural movements of Life. With awareness and practice, we can fine tune our Inner thoughts and our Outer action to reflect this Flow through movement, dietary choices and most importantly, our frame of Mind. The Beauty of this perspective is that it does not require diving into a book or attending classes, but simply to observe and let Nature be your teacher.

In 1995, I had set in motion a plan to leave a holistic healing center I had helped create 10 years earlier. I had worked out a deal so that my wife at that time and one of the psychotherapists practicing there would take over management responsibilities so I could head to the “country”. I would rent back from them for a period of time until I figured out just where to go. Shortly after we had all agreed to these changes, the psychologist was found dead in his office from an apparent heart attack. The shock from the sudden loss of my good friend and the need to step back into an administrative role put my plans on the back burner for awhile.

Fast forward about 8 more years with the Healing Arts Center a bit more financially stable and me with the same desire to create a practice smack dab in the woods. I had even given a stint to practicing out of a friend’s cabin in the Cactoctin mountains one day a week just to see if clients were serious about taking more time for themselves and linking a treatment session with some retreat time. Well, the long and the short of it was that it was just too far away, and when push came to shove, people weren’t willing to take the extra time.

It was actually a relief for me as it was a long drive and a damp practice space; beautiful and inspiring but a little soggy, as were my spirits at that time. I felt as if I was all dressed up with no place to go.

Now, not too much longer after the cabin experience I was working out in my garden doing some insignificant doodling. I suddenly had this feeling in me, a certainty that I needed to build a small center here on my home property. In a brief moment I “knew” that’s what I wanted to do. Those of you that have had this type of experience know of the difficulty: that is, the certainty that appears can quickly vanish in the face of the practical questions.

How do I pay for it? Will anyone drive the additional distance from my current office? The normal arousal of doubts is often enough to extinguish any fiery vision. Unfortunately my “certainty” message was not delivered by an angel or even a commanding voice emanating from an adjacent burning blueberry bush. These things I could have latched onto and marched confidently into the future never looking back. No, my message arrived in more of a Quaker style, from that still small voice within. And, I knew as I sat there for a minute that I would have to make a commitment here and now to this process no matter what else I felt down the road, because this clarity does fade. I would at times need to move forward from a vague memory of something that in the past was substantial and palpable but now was merely a whisper. The moment I took was a moment to make a promise to myself based on this feeling now, and to let that feeling gel in my body. I had to remember.

Six years after that moment in the garden with an immense amount of planning, late nights behind a paint brush and the contributions and support of many creative people, Samara is open. I have acted out of my little window of certainty and created a beautiful, healing space. And, people are coming!! It all springs from an invisible inspiration. Even with the struggle of holding onto that original knowing, things are born. Expect a shout but act on the whisper.