All is well. It’s an extra day off from school and work today that I plan to spend reading and readying for the week. You know, batch cooking basics, looking ahead at calendar items, cleaning the refrigerator, sorting socks – the usual things I do on the weekend that I was able to shift to today.
It’s a day for resetting. A day to prepare.
Imbolc can be an overlooked season. I think that stems from the feeling that there is little to no “there” there.
The season isn’t as showy or exciting as summer with its vacations and long, light-filled days, and warm weather.
It isn’t as glittering or magical as winter with its holidays and abundance.
Autumn offers the marvel of colored leaves and costumes. Spring encourages us with new blooms and flushes of green.
But Imbolc? It’s just kind of there, a grey slog we have to get through.
In many places, it is still cold and dreary. Trees are barren, and the earth may be grey or brown, sodden and muddy with old snow. Weather is erratic or steady.
There is a tremendous amount of anticipation for the next thing but we don’t give much though to the spiritual preparations of the next thing.
Are we ready? Are we ready to grow, flourish with glee, blossom, and change this year?
Or do we feel like our surroundings? Uninspired, grey, cold, and old.
Farmers in very cold climates take this time to ponder and prepare; what will they plant? Like the Earth, the farmer rests during hard winter. But at this point, they know that Spring comes close. Mentally, they plot their fields, savoring seed catalogs and dream; they visualize their year. They dream of Lammas and the Autumnal Equinox when they will reap.
But for now, in Imbolc, they start. Perhaps seeds are planted in greenhouses. Greens may be started in the ground, covered to incur warmth and protection. Last-minute choices are procured from purveyors.
They prepare.
They anticipate the effort it takes to plant, tend, and harvest. They prepare mentally for the calling.
They know new life is coming. When it comes it will burst and bound. Once the seed stirs it cannot be stopped.
How is it for you?
Are there any seeds stirring? Are you still dreaming through your dreariness?
Do you believe there is something next? Or are you resigned, or too tired? Might you stay as you are where you are? Have you paused or have you stopped? Are you blocked? Do you wonder, why bother? Things won’t change anyway. I’ve tried and failed, and I don’t want to, I can’t, try again.
I can relate. And when that happens to me, when those feelings rise, I notice them and am grateful for them. They are my deep spirit, welling up inside, breaking through like a tender sprout through dark Earth, reaching for the warmth and light of the sun.
They are a Break Through.
I’ve already Resolved this year. So now, in Imbolc, it’s time to Reset.
That usually starts with my body, my physical vessel, the temple for my spirit. It’s cold and sluggish – like the weather – which leads to lethargy.
My knee flared up about a month ago, so I’ve laid off. But there are other exercises I can do for the upper body. Any exercise at all will increase blood flow to my brain and extremities, strengthen muscles, and improve my joints. And I know that exercise helps my mental fitness.
The Things haven’t really exercised since Samhain, when deep darkness descends and time changes, all motivation is lost and habits dissolve as our bodies adjust to the abrupt time shift and our attention diverts to the holidays.
Gyms are havens for germs during the Winter, so we stay away, opting for walks or at-home exercises.
But I notice that if I don’t take them right after school, if we return home before going to walk or the gym, I’ve lost the game. The comfort of home, and our habits, pull us in. Couches and beds magnetize us. No amount of cajoling or bribing can alter the course and I avoid the Sisyphean Feat. It’s enough of a challenge to self-motivate, let alone goad 2 fifteen-year-olds.
So, here we are – a long weekend, a Monday, and they say never miss a Monday. Start Strong. I’ve alerted The Things to the change in the season. They don’t have school today so they can’t claim to be so tired.
It begins, again, today – The Reset.
The Gym today and Wednesday. Tomorrow, a walk with the dog at the beach. A self-defense martial arts class on Saturday. And that’s it. An easy entry point. We aren’t going to Crush It. There are no plans to Hustle the Muscle. We won’t Endure Pain for Gain.
None. Of. That.
We are simply going to get started; a very low entry point. Easy. Minimal. We are just going to get there.
Its the New Moon today, a perfect time to start this habit. For the next Moon cycle, we are going to focus on creating this new habit.
We will remember to get out our gym clothes. I’ll bring a pre-workout snack and bottles of water. Fifteen minutes of cardio warm-up and then strength training followed by stretching.
Gentle. Delicate. Fragile. Just like a seed sprouting, we are going to reclaim the habit of caring for our bodies. That’s how we will Start Strong.
Like rivers and oceans, we are going to move.
Some may disagree with this approach to the Reset. That’s OK. They aren’t me. They don’t know The Things. The don’t know what we need.
What we need is to shake off the lethargy on the path to Refreshing and Revitalizing.
But you can’t jump to Revitalizing. We often fail if we increase too quickly.
Baby Steps. Grace. Determination. Heart.
That’s what I’m going for here – for The Things, for me, and for you.
Still got your notebook? No. That’s OK, grab whatever is closest to you that you can write on. It might be the back of an agenda, a bill, or an envelope. Anything is good.
Ask yourself, on this New Moon – what do you want? What could you reset over the next four weeks? During this moon cycle, what would you like to make space for?
Perhaps it’s reading at night before bed, going to a museum, trying a new recipe, rearranging your living room, or cleaning out the sock drawer.
You won’t know until you ask yourself.
In the mornings, I write three pages a la Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, Morning Pages. Lately I’ve been starting the pages like this:
hello love
hello
how are you?
And then I begin. Whatever comes up for me comes up because I’ve taken some time to ask myself how I am. Sometimes, I am the only person that day to ask myself how I am doing. This is how I discover and uncover.
Can you take ten minutes to find out for yourself what needs a Reset?
I encourage you to try.
xoxox