Happy Groundhog Day 2011!

Happy Groundhog Day 2011! 

Regardless of whether or not Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today, clearly, Mother Nature has some serious winter plans in store for us...for quite awhile yet.  Each day, I can feel my energy level ebb and flow; it alternates with the extended sunshine and daylight and the cold, windy, cloudy days.

Crippling blizzards across the North and Southeast, blustery winds here in the West and torrential rains in the Northwest overshadow the promise of Springtime for now.  Today, I'm grateful for my new dog and his soft, Sherpa-like doggie bed I bought at Big Lots for a STEAL, my son's new public charter school and his amazing attitude turnaround after leaving our very-much celebrated (and hugely overpopulated) local high school, homemade cornbread in the oven and my famous chicken stew simmering on the stove for dinner. 

Life is simple, blessed and good today.  It is surely my pleasure to pop some wood into the fireplace, wrap up in my Snuggie blankie on the couch, watch Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, and hunker down for at LEAST six more weeks of winter fun before Spring and the Vernal Equinox appears.  As one momma bear who's not quite ready to end hibernation, I happily say back down the rabbit hole I go!

MiChelle Jeneen, Energy Skills Educator

http://www.spiritrefreshed.blogspot.com/

Spiritual Hibernation

Hard to believe we are only two weeks into "official" Winter.  For anyone who doubts climate change, this week has made for some interesting arguments.  Southern California, like most of the world, has been hit with some uncharacteristically weird weather.  Last week, it actually snowed enough to make snowmen! 

When it's cold, gray and rainy...it feels good to have an excuse to nest and hibernate.  A big fire in the fireplace, something fragrant and delicious in the oven, movies queued up and and fuzzy slippers with a warm blanket...heaven! 

Personally, like many others, I can't shake the feeling that I've been in hibernation for alot longer than two weeks.  Not physically, but spiritually and emotionally.  It's safe and cozy in my self-made den of protection, for sure.  But as the feeling of "authenticity" continues to wash over me and my life, I can feel the stirrings of preparedness for the spiritual Spring that's forthcoming. 

For now, I'll continue to rest, dream and snuggle.  As the tides shift over the next few months, it will be interesting to see what new beauty emerges from the cave of transformation.

MiChelle Jeneen, Energy Skills Educator
www.spiritrefreshed.blogspot.com

Winter Solstice, 2010

Thinking back on the seasonal changes as I grew up, Winter Solstice has always been one of my favorites. Solstice is the day with the shortest amount of daylight, for the entire calendar year. The thought of hibernation...warm, cuddly, snuggled in tight...burrowing into the home cave with family, food and fire...always conjures up primal comfort for me.

Solstice always meant drawing inward, a death...in anticipation of a rebirth in the Spring. But this year, I finally see the process in a different way. Not unlike the moment an egg is fertilized in utero, Solstice is the beginning, not the end. Seeds are planted, nestled deep within, protected, nurtured and just waiting for the day when it can push its tender young leaves upwards towards the sun.

A busy year ends on an equally active note. Full moon, lunar eclipse, Mercury retrograde....lots of alignments, all in service to provide opportunity for reflection and growth. In her book, "Ceremonies of the Seasons," Jennifer Cole says "...the end of one cycle is the beginning of the next, which makes Midwinter a time to look forward in hope. We have time to contemplate the year that is ending and plan for the future. Communities gather together at the Winter Solstice, to celebrate the return of the Light...with rejoicing and the exchange of gifts." Instead of the day of the least amount of Light, we are preparing for the return of longer days, renewal, rebirth and later Harvest. So rest, celebrate, reflect...and prepare yourself for the awakening the new year will bring us all.

MiChelle Jeneen, Energy Skills Educator and
Intuitive Life Coach
www.spiritrefreshed.blogspot.com