Happy Deepwinter

Slowing down the start to the 'New Year'

Happy New Year - or rather Happy deepwinter! I’ve always found it strange that the Romans chose one of the bleakest, coldest and darkest months of the year to spur us all into action and productivity — but despite the hard sell and almost 2,000 years later, that ‘new year, new me’ marketing campaign has become one of the greatest capitalist marketing schemes of all time! Gym memberships, active-wear, planners, new home decor, new wardrobes, hairstyling, dietary aids all surge in profits during the months of January—and often end up abandoned and heading to landfill just a few months later.

Like many of us, I have spent the majority of my life ensnared in this cultural norm. Setting aspirational goals to be better, fitter, richer and then found myself trapped in cycles of boom and burst, of optimism and failure. A few years ago, I began to deconstruct from that cycle, especially after reading ‘Wintering’ by Katherine May. I began to realize that by giving myself the gift of time over the winter to really consider and visualize my goals, to tend and nurture the delicate green shoots of serious and sustainable change, ideas and dreams became a more tangible and certain path. Embracing the energy of Yuletide and winter pre -Roman calendar changes has allowed me to create a liminal space where I can think ahead without forcing motion. It’s a time of expectant pregnancy and I have begun to care and nourish myself during this time in the same way that mothers prepare for the arrival of their children.

It has been hard to resist the messaging that I’m not hungry enough, not committed enough, not urgent enough to forge success—but there are no quick fixes to meaningful transformation—and forced seedlings are weak and susceptible to disease. For me, the Untamed Way of January is about trusting my own timing, listening closely, and allowing movement to come naturally and is often signaled when the rest of nature also decides that it’s time to start blooming.