the year is turning. the winter solstice is here. and, incrementally the days will grow longer. it is a time of the celebration of light, the return of the light after months of living in the fertile dark.
the darkness of the year, and of our days, serves us in many ways. one of those ways is to house and protect seeds. while actual planting may not happen until spring, seeds, in many indigenous cultures, have been stored in baskets since the previous year’s harvest. they have lived in the darkness, waiting. this is the time of potential, of energy waiting to burst forth gathering momentum.
winter is often a time of waiting. gardeners await the arrival of catalogues with great anticipation. the soil is damp from winter rains, waiting. what will we plant as the light grows?our intentions for the next year are the seeds we will plant in our garden.
some intention-seeds are conscious, some not. all of them will grow in our garden. right now, as the year turns, we have choice. the garden we grow depends on which seeds we cultivate, which we plant and nurture into glorious plants as the light grows.
which elder seeds will you choose?which elder seeds will you nurture in the coming year?which elder seeds will you witness as they grow?which elder seeds will you harvest next autumn?may your celebration, and planting, be fruitful!