Friday, December 21st marks the winter solstice, the beginning of the winter season, a season in which we take a journey within to reflect, contemplate, and nurture the seeds planted in the fall.

This journey within leads us to new ideas and inspirations, and sometimes it can be really difficult to remain present without jumping into action…but winter is not a season of physical action…it’s not the season to give birth to those ideas.  It is the time to nurture and to dig even deeper.

It’s funny, I’ve been watching this play out in my own life over the past week.  I’ve felt flooded with inspiration…new jewelry designs and collections, ideas for ceremonies, writings, vision of many things to come…yet I also feel how delicate these ideas are.  I see how they need to be nurtured and given space to grow strong roots so they can bloom in beauty in their own time.

When we experience such floods of inspiration they are an invitation to take a deeper journey within.  To be receptive to our own inner wisdom and guidance.  The roots that need to take hold will only do so if we journey into the belly of the earth with them, if we listen to what they need to tell us, if we respond to what they need from us, and if we give them their own space to grow.

This is a season of introspective action.

Here are a couple steps that you can take to journey deeper within this winter season:

1.  Be receptive.  Listen to your inner voice…allow it to be your compass.

2.  Nurture yourself with loving self care…eat nourishing foods, fill your space with aromas that sooth you, take a salt bath, get a spa treatment

3.  Spend time in nature.

4.  Read, google, read some more, reflect, listen witin…this is a time to do a little research…opening to new information creates space for a deeper understanding of self and the deeper understanding creates space for expansion.

5.  Create your own sacred ceremonies to… 1. Let go of any fears or resistence you have to journeying deeper or receiving the ideas that are being presented to you and 2. To honor and celebrate your inspiration.

6.  Clear your space…smudge, empty closets, go through old boxes.  Let go of what no longer matches the life you wish to create.

7.  Create a sacred space to hold your inspiration, insights, and all of the information that is passing through your consciousness.  You need to have a space to gather it and hold it sacred so it can be nurtured through the winter season.  For example…When a family prepares to welcome a child into their family, they create a space for the child.  They fill it with objects that will nurture its development and inspire its creativity.  Every item that enters this space is carefully chosen.  When you create a sacred space for your inspiration (journal, a room, poster board, canvas, wall, alter etc) carefully select every item that is welcomed into this space.

When we truly honor the season of winter within ourselves we begin to realize that this is a time to go deeper within, to nurture those pieces of inspiration, to hold them dear and sacred and to allow them to carry us to deeper levels of understanding.

When we hold them sacred through the darkest season we meet spring ready for a season of creative action.
Enjoy your journey deep within.

Have a beautiful solstice and a wonderful holiday!

Shine Brightly,
– Lori

Journey Jewels