Winter Blessings and Beauties, Day 69: A Time of Peace

 

Although we think of January as the first month of the year, in the original Roman calendar (on which our current Gregorian calendar is based), the first month of the year was March. Their original calendar had only ten months, with the winter period a chunk of time considered dormant and hence 'monthless'. Because this period was dormant it was a time of peace, and also rest from the agricultural cycle.

I find it very interesting that there are so many instances of this period of the year being framed as 'time out of time', such as the rites of Saturnalia (when the usual order of things was inverted), or the Twelve Days of Christmas and Twelfth Night revels. To this day the period covering the end of December and beginning of January is a time when the usual routines of work, school and even home are disrupted and the usual rules don't apply. Is there something innately 'out of time' about this part of the year, when although the sun is slowly returning from its nadir the land has not yet stirred from its winter slumber? 

Winter Blessings and Beauties: Day 69

A Time of Peace

Just as we only slowly move from deep restful sleep into consciousness, the Earth is slow to reawaken. Let us not be too eager to rush the process, let's instead lean into this time of peace, this time between the outbreath and the inbreath. This is a liminal time, a brief pause. Embrace the stillness, the rare gift of peace.