We’ve been enjoying the relatively quiet days between holidays. This post looks at the silence of this time of year, the lull, the liminal space before the birth of a new year (is this the rest and be thankful phase of the year?).
The most subversive thing is silence. In this odd interregnum, in the days caught between Christmas and new year, the world suddenly falls quiet. Unless you are determined to face dubious sales, there is nothing more to buy. Travel, especially if you use public transport, is curtailed. We are forced to look at ourselves, to our own company, and those nearest us.
And, I recently read this post about the value of solitude for parents (and the difficulty in carving out time for it):
Solitude is like punctuation. A paragraph without periods and commas would be exhausting to read. In the same way, conducting relationships without the respite of solitude can lessen the benefits of those relationships. Downtime is important for you and your kids. They benefit from solitude too. Taking care of your own solitude will not only help you restore yourself but also show your kids this positive model of self-nurturance
Source: Solitude is Going Extinct: The Stress of Modern Parenting
We’ve started working on my 2015 review for my 2016 Shining Year workbooks and am feeling a certain resistance towards doing it this year. I found this worksheet for kids on doing a year in review and I printed it out to do with our own kids on New Year’s Eve: 2015 Year In Review Printable.
The Brigid’s Grove etsy shop is open again with limited inventory. We will be back with our complete assortment of sculptures and ceremony kits (plus, new surprises!) after the first of the year.
The next section of our Womanrunes Immersion course begins on January 5th. This course takes you on a 41 day journal through the runes and includes journal and photo prompts, worksheets, full moon and new moon rituals, and access to the 2016 Calamoondala class.
“To parent well, you have to have the gentleness and courage of a warrior.”
–Carol (in Joyful Birth by Susan Piver)