I noticed an astounding change in my overall mood and energy level after making these simple changes. The feeling of continually fighting off “winter doldrums” vanished.
The results? As someone who already enjoyed winter, I noticed an astounding change in my overall mood and energy level after making these simple changes. The feeling of continually fighting off “winter doldrums” vanished, and I felt myself embracing the rhythms of the cooking fire, darkness, dense foods, and low light. When I did my best to actively observe winter, I was filled with a quiet sense of rightness and of being in tune with Earth. I felt happier, more relaxed, and much more effective with my magickal practices.
I’d like to share some specific guidelines for following the seasonal wheel and doing a proper job of winter hibernation. Note: For anyone who has been diagnosed with clinical depression or SAD, my suggestions do not constitute medical recommendations, and I would encourage you to discuss these ideas with your physician before trying them. Likewise, if you’re taking medication for SAD, please do not stop the medication without advice from your health care provider.
Prepare yourself magickally. The month of January is ruled by Janus, Roman guardian of doorways, gates, and thresholds. Often pictured with two or three faces, Janus can see into the past and future simultaneously. Consider winter as a threshold or gate to the coming year. Carry out a ritual that welcomes winter and proclaims your personal and magickal plans and intentions. In most traditions, winter is associated with the north and the earth element, making it an excellent time for grounding, centering, and energy work. A pine, cedar, or sage smudge is a powerful way to cleanse or purify as often as needed.
Adjust your schedule. Simply said, do less. Don’t overcommit, and respect the season’s slower pace. Focus activities on the home front. Now is the time to settle into books, projects, and other activities that require a long span of time. Have family game nights or invite friends over to share the fun.
Adjust your environment. Invest in good lead-free candles for atmosphere, and if you have a fireplace, stock up on dry, seasoned wood. Light the area you’re living or working in, but leave lights off through the rest of the house. Turn the thermostat down to 65 degrees—leave blanket throws on chairs and couches, and wear slippers to keep your feet warm and layers of fleece or wool sweaters for toastiness. Make your bed with flannel sheets and thick blankets and spreads.
Purify your surroundings. Many houseplants are valuable for purifying the air, particularly peace lilies, rubber plants, and spider plants. You might also invest in an air purifier for the bedroom and main living spaces. On warmer days, open the doors and windows to let fresh air in.
Embrace winter herbs and spices. Burn incense or diffuse oils in scents of cinnamon, clove, cardamom, pine, or cedar. Sip herbal teas or fresh-made Chai. Simmer a kettle of hot cider or mulled wine with fresh ginger, cinnamon sticks, star anise, whole cloves, cardamom pods, and thin slices of citrus.
Eat for the season. Focus on grains, legumes, and warming root vegetables. Carrots are excellent for digestion, parsnips support the lungs, beets furnish elemental iron, and sweet potatoes are full of vitamins and fiber (and are delicious mashed with butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar!). Try a hot cereal of oatmeal or buckwheat topped with sautéed apples or dried fruit. Enjoy roasted meats, homemade soup stock, and mugs of rich hot chocolate, each with a warming pinch of cayenne. Stewed fruit, crisps, and cobblers make delicious winter treats.
Pamper your body. Enjoy warm baths, adding 1 cup Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate), 1 teaspoon olive oil, and a few drops of essential oil to each tubful. Try lavender for relaxation, or thyme or rosemary for invigoration. If your skin is dry, replace the Epsom salts with colloidal oatmeal (or blend oatmeal to a powder in your food processor). Consider a weekly “spa night” in which you pamper yourself from head to toe.
Feed Your Mind. This is a perfect time to dive into magickal study, work on garb or tool craft, or read the stack of books that’s accumulated on the nightstand. Keep a daily journal to track your activities and monitor winter’s progress.
Stay active. Engage in slower-paced exercise, such a yoga, Tai Chi, or swimming. Take bundled walks through your neighborhood, watching for seasonal changes.
Serve the tribe. Take care of your own family, but reach out as well. Winter is a powerful time to do volunteer work in your own community.
Celebrate! Honor Yule, Christmas, Imbolc, or whatever holidays sing to you. The winter holidays are the perfect time for lights, gifts, and greenery: be merry and rejoice!
Are you ready to hibernate? Honor winter’s rhythms and you’ll feel the magickal and health benefits that come from slowing down and embracing the season as a restorative time of quiet, rest, and reflection.
Resources
Harlow, John. “Race to Be First to ‘Hibernate’ Human Beings.” Times Online. May 27, 2007. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/article1845294.ece.
Nesse, Randolphe, and George Williams. Why We Get Sick. The New Science of Darwinian Medicine. New York: Vintage, 1996.
Susan Pesznecker’s bio appears on page 56.
Illustrator: Rik Olson
Magical Ecotourism
Denise Dumars
Call it ecotourism, voluntourism, or whatever you will, it sounds like something that politically correct Yuppies have the time and the money to do before they go back to their armed-response guarded homes in gated-community suburbs, doesn’t it? That’s what I thought when I first heard those
