This season never fails to bring with it a little confusion for me. The source this year is no longer my Holiday Shopping List or the cacophony of ads and events vying for my attention. It’s just that the dark and cold naturally draws me to quietness, and yet Christmas lights are starting to beckon. When I think back, I realize my own version of seasonal mania in years past came got worse when I denied my real need for a Long Winter’s Nap.
So I’m trying out an experiment this year. I’m follow my inclination for sleep and dreaming. I’m allowing myself more time for dream journals and meditation in the early mornings, and I’m planning small field trips to the shops and lights of the holidays.
My strategy is this: by routinely allowing time to go within, I’ll be able to notice the subtle beliefs that would keep me off-center during a holiday when I’d like to experience more peace. I’m anchoring myself in the mystery of darkness so that I’ll replace stresses of holidays past with joy and excitement of a third-grader on a field trip. A non-sugar-driven, non-hyper holiday field trip. Then I can come home to savor some quiet, some warmth, and visions of sugar plums.
I’ll keep checking in. Let me know what you’re dreaming and how you’re keeping seasonal perspective.
