This is meant to be the SLOW season.
The last week has brought holidays of celebration, mourning and remembrance, days dedicated to shopping and giving, family time or triggers, and possibly travel… that is A LOT.
So, how are you feeling?
For me, it’s exhausting - there has been a lot to take in and do. There has been a sense of urgency and rushing and trying to pack so many things in, which leads to my nervous system being a bit fried. And now, as we move into December, things can continue to be quite busy.
But busy is not what this season is meant to be.
If we were living as our ancestors around the world did, we would be living our lives in partnership with Nature, following the rhythm of the sun. This would be the time when we would move the slowest, when we would go within, spend more time resting and connecting with ourselves and our closest loved ones, and moving a lot slower.
Can we connect if we’re moving quickly?
Throughout that last 15 years, I have received guidance and known within my bones that I need to SLOW DOWN. It is guidance I have to receive over and over again because I need to remember it over and over again. Slowing down in this fast-paced world is an ongoing practice.
This came up again recently, but with a bit of a spin. I realized that I need slowness in order to connect. Which is why feeling rushed or overly busy creates friction for me. When I realized this, a lot of recent experiences came into focus.
I believe moving slower and not being rushed allows us to connect in our experiences. In fact, it may be a necessary component of connection. Here are some examples:
Connecting with a dear friend when we only have an hour vs. talking to her without a time table I’m bumping up against - I am able to drop in, be present and connect more deeply.
As I was transplanting and moving gardens around this fall, I noticed how much more I enjoyed the days when I didn’t have a time constraint. I was able to sit and be present in the dirt and move with ease and flow, without feeling rushed. I experienced the same thing puttering in my house one day. I love puttering - it is highly underrated.
Going for the gratitude walks I mentioned last week - those are slower walks rather than cardio walks, and I absolutely connect more with myself, the land and Spiritually when I’m taking it in intentionally.
Does this resonate? Can you think of times that you have felt rushed vs. not and how that has impacted your experience
I connect far more when I am not busy, rushed or moving quickly - focused on completing something or reaching a destination. I can be present in the experience and connect more with myself, with the people I’m with, with the land, and spiritually.
And I believe in general, our pace of life is meant to be slower than the pace most people living in our society move. Which would inherently lead to more connection.
Where can you DO LESS and CONNECT MORE?
In addition to our natural pace being slower, I believe our rhythms change with the season as well. If we lived in connection with the cycles of the sun and the land, we would be busier/more active during the summer months when there is more light, and slower/less active during these winter darker months.
Contrary to that way of living, within our modern western culture, this month can be BUSY. So, I invite you to consider where you can slow down. Can you…
Say no to anything that is currently on your schedule so that you feel less crunched for time - specifically eliminate things that don’t feel connective to you.
Create pockets of time for resting or just being - even put them in your calendar. Ideally full days for just being, puttering, doing what your body, heart and spirit desire.
Make a list of what helps you to feel connected and restored, whether it is napping, baths, reading, cooking (with ease, not rushed), gratitude walks, sitting with tea by the window or a favorite spot in your house, spending time with specific people, etc. Do those things as much as possible this season.
Learn about and lean into hygge (“hooga”) - the Danish art of coziness and contentment.
If your spiritual religious tradition has a ritual this season, consider how you can be more present. Can you intentionally create space to connect more for Advent, Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice (see note in P.S.), etc.?
Whatever your methods, I hope you are able to have moments when you are present, not rushed and able to connect with Yourself, Others, the Land and Spiritually.
Sending you love in this Slow Season,
Rev. Dev
The Connected Way™
P.S. Winter Solstice is a magical time to connect to Ourselves, the Land and Spiritually. time of deep connection. This year, I am offering two different Winter Solstice Rituals for you to slow down, drop in and connect. One is in person, and the other is virtual. I’d love to see you there.