We took to our woodlands, parks, mountains, and open spaces in droves during the Pandemic, desperate for headspace, clean open air and some much-needed peace and reassurance. And because we all needed to get out of the house before we started a battle with family! In a world of cataclysmic shifts, where uncertainty and fear reigned, nature became our constant saviour. Though we may not be able to explain it, we know we always feel much better, calmer, more grounded after being immersed in green spaces like forests or woodlands. It is not surprising that we are made to be outdoors.

A month for nurturing ourselves and our new ideas and plans that were dreamed up over Winter, born into life in early Spring and now needing care and attention.

For February, my intention for the month is Vision. We rested, dreamed and hibernated through winter. Sat with what is and was and now at Imbolc, the beginning of Spring and the start of Chinese New Year it’s a time for new beginnings. Imbolc means in the belly, a time for seeds to be sown, life to remerge slowly, tentatively.

Living in close relationship to the seasons and the flowing of time allows us to (re)attune to the earth and teaches us to cooperate with the energy of that period rather than fighting against it.

The new year brings with it a collective yearning for change. It evokes in us a willingness to reflect and ask ourselves what that change might look like. And winter is the time to go within and listen.

So, before we expend more precious energy chasing random things, let's PAUSE for a moment. Create space to consider do we really know what we want for ourselves this year? This is still a time for inaction, a time to lie fallow and go deeper before taking action.

In the dark harsh winter, the Winter Solstice was a time of great celebration for our ancestors. And still today, these days are for resting and dreaming.

At the Winter Solstice or Grianstad an Gheimhridh as gaelige, it is a turning point, when light shines through the darkness. This is what we celebrate at the Winter Solstice - the return of the light. I take great hope from that during the darkness of winter.

The nourishment of the mid-Winter quiet darkness, rest and drawing inwards to reflect. It also makes it an ideal time for dreaming. As well as the great celebrations of the Solstice and Christmas, it is a potent time to pause, reflect and wonder.