By Monica Glasscock (she/they)
Winter is an invitation from the natural world to slow down and rest. Even the sun doesn’t reach its usual heights in the sky this time of year. The nights have drawn in and are drawn out, while the days are the shortest they are all year. Since the Autumnal Equinox, nature has enacted its annual ritual of composting, as leaves fall to the ground to return to the soil that nourished the tree that birthed them. The cycle completes, paving the way for a new one to begin. Flora finds relief in this fallow period, and Fauna follows suit, conserving their energies. And Funga, that wild world that is neither plant nor animal, do their subterranean work, decomposing and moving nutrients through the mycelium network to nourish other plants.
And yet, in the midst of this slowing in the life cycle, our current capitalist culture demands more- more work, more parties, more presents. The ever-present hum at this season urging us to consume: “It’s on SALE! Don’t miss the lowest prices of the year”. Systems endeavor to work us up into a lather and wear us down because tired people are willing to spend money to buy into convenience. And frankly, who can blame us? This system is exhausting! It’s a pernicious cycle and is deeply oppositional to the natural world and our evolutionary history.
So I ask, are we not also part of this world? Why should we never rest? Are we so afraid of scarcity? The natural world pivots on cycles of feast and famine, so why do we expect ourselves to sustain a perpetual harvest feast while never stopping to nurture our soil with the rich compost of the year gone by?
I invite you to reflect upon how this annual slowing down calls you to deepen your connection and exploration of what the four values mean to you.
Community: How can these cold and dark days be balanced with the light and warmth of time spent in community?
Social/EcoJustice: How can you lean into the values of social and ecological justice through more mindful consumption in a time of year that demands we spend more and more?
Simple Living: How will you live simply and in alignment with the natural world’s cycles?
Spirituality/ Reflection: Might you take inspiration from the season and turn inward to explore your own cycles of light and dark, feast and famine, growth and decay?
The friction generated between the earth’s cycles and the capitalist culture demands can be felt strongly this time of year. How might this friction push us to consider the choices we make in how we spend our time? Because ultimately, isn’t money just what we receive in exchange for the hours of our life spent in labor?
