Why the Darkest of Winter is a Bad Time to Make Resolutions

    ​With the holiday festivities behind us, many people feel a bit worn down. For some it was too much family around, for others it’s that feeling of having spent too much or eaten a few too many cookies. But often the cause is simply that we overextend our energy reserve at a time of year when the focus of the Land is drawn inward toward dreaming and rest. This energetic disconnect is often the cause of holiday fatigue and winter blues.
    And amid this energetic disconnect arrives the New Year. At least according to the Gregorian calendar that we use today. New Years was originally placed at this time year by Julius Caesar as a way to honor Janus, the God of doorways and new beginnings. As an interesting side note, the term April fools was coined to describe the country folks who had not received word that the new year was no longer being celebrated in springtime as it always had been.
    In other words, the new year arrives at a rather arbitrary moment, in the deepest, darkest of winter. Yes, we have passed the Winter Solstice, the actual darkest day of the year, and we have in fact turned a corner toward the light. But energetically this shift will not actually be felt until later. But still it can feel logical to make a fresh start at the starting of a new calendar year. A fresh new calendar to represent a fresh new me. But nature does not concur.
    In nature, it is still the season for resting. Deep within itself it is dreaming and growing young once more. And while we may not actively notice, so is a large part of our being. Our subconscious self, or deeper self, is in the midst of dreaming new things into being. Things that will not percolate up into conscious thought until the energy of the Land begins to awaken.
   Deciding who we should be in the midst of this dream state is counterproductive, and often fueled by a need to correct course after the holidays. Yes, it is wise to return to a simpler, more sustainable pace at this of year. But it is best to allow the pace to take a more gentle, intuitive shape. Be loving to yourself rather than decisive or determined to change. Hold off on that new gym membership. Allow yourself the space to dream, to stare into the fire, to watch the weather pass outside your window. Find ways to enjoy the stillness of the season. The quickening of the Land at First Spring Light will come soon enough with a clearer sense of what goals or accomplishments your deeper self has dreamt into being.