Preparing for the Hibernation Phase…

By now, in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, it’s obvious that we have entered into a very pronounced climatic, emotional and biological phase. For you lucky Southern hemisphere dwellers, that phase is called late Spring, which portends a verdant, luscious, warm Summer season. For us in the Northern hemisphere, there’s no denying it– this phase is called late Fall, which is wasting no time in ushering in all of the characteristics of a barren, cold, often bleak Winter.

Upon closer reflection, though, late Fall and Winter offer much more than that. It’s a very fertile time and great for nurturing old and new life as evidenced by the beauty of the flowering Spring bulbs that were planted the previous Fall. In addition to the obvious physical beauty of the daffodils, tulips and irises that grow as a result of their Winter ‘hibernation,’ bears, bats and bees also go within and allow nature to care for them as they re-source themselves in preparation for the vibrant verdancy of Spring.

In the Winter, we humans also go into an inner, more reflective phase. Though we don’t curl up in a cave or underground warren, our systems slow down and demand that we take the time to be mindful of and attend to ourselves in more gentle, nurturing ways.

As the temperature continues to drop and you prepare your den for a cozy, reflective season, make sure that you look back at your year and assess the beauty/bounty of your Spring and Summer efforts. Did the results of last years ‘bulbs’ (hopes, wishes, reflections, determinations) bud and bloom the way you’d hoped? What do you need to do to nurture them this Winter so that next Spring’s garden is a beautiful and satisfying reflection of yourself? The answers to these questions are within you. Prepare yourself for and participate in Winter’s life enriching process and like cream, they’ll effortlessly rise to the top.

P.S. I recently returned from Scotland where I lead 20 people on another of my transformational spiritual Odysseys. This year’s Odyssey to Scotland was even more magical and amazing than last year’s! Just like last year, in a few weeks, you can ‘travel’ with me as I re-count my experience of the journey via my posts, ‘A Scottish Odyssey through My Eyes.’

Lots of Love & Joy,
Sheilaa

Here is Your Mercury Retrograde Survival Kit…

Ahh, Mercury retrograde– again! Yes, it’s back (which is the nature of any retrograde– they return). From September 17th to October 9th, we’ll be dealing with it, or rather– it’ll be dealing with us! This time it’s in the sign Libra, the sign of balance, beauty, justice, relationships, decisiveness and wishy-washy thought processes.

The best way to navigate this tricky territory is to adopt Bobby McFerrin’s theme song as your own– “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” and remember Scottish poet Robbie Burns prophetic words, “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley (“The best-laid plans of mice and men / Often go awry”).

Rest assured, things will go wrong, plans will be delayed, schedules will be changed. As daunting as it sounds, however, you don’t have to be at the mercy of these uncontrollable events.

The rules for surviving a Mercury retrograde are a lot like those for surviving a riptide current:

1. Keep your feet on the bottom as much as possible; in other words stay grounded!
2. Remain calm.
3. Regain your footing by methodically dealing with whatever issues arise.
4. Ask for help; another perspective will often give you the encouragement you need to successfully move through any difficulties.
5. Swim parallel to shore– don’t go off on a tangent and let the confusion of the moment distract you from what is essential to keep in mind.
6. Swim toward the shore once you escape the current. Once the confusion of the moment passes, carefully re-direct your energy so that you achieve your desired outcome.

If you remember these rules, you’ll not only survive, you’ll get the benefit of Mercury retrograde– yes, it does have benefits! This is an excellent time for introspection, research and going on retreats, as those things that are usually hidden from view, show themselves more easily during a Mercury retrograde period. When Mercury is retrograde, the communication and thought process qualities it rules are up for review. Some of what (or who) comes up for us or back to us is timely and needs to be honored by our attention; the rest of those old memories, stories and relationships are negative, harmful and/or no longer true for us and, therefore, need to be released and tossed out!

And always, if you can, hold off on buying (or leasing) any big ticket items. It’s also a good idea to triple check any and all plans you make. Wait until Mercury goes direct before making any big decisions.

Lots of Love & Joy,
Sheilaa