How Winter Solitude Deepens Our Connection To The Earth
Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes | Song: Earth by Joe Henderson and Alice Coltrane
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“Solitude can be a profound teacher. It can teach us how to hold ourselves- how to affirm ourselves and listen. How much is the sound of your own voice worth? And yet, we were made for belonging. Maybe you’ve heard it said that you need to learn how to be alone before you can be with someone. I say you have to learn how to be with and part of something in order to know how tone alone. I think it is only out of a deep anchoring in community that one can be free to explore the solitary.”
There was a time, maybe not long ago where humanity remembered that we came from the Earth. Many of us being people of the Sun, knowing there was nothing that made us in our human experience much different from the rest of the natural world. In the lineages of my ancestry, animism was our belief and any spiritual practices aligned with our connection to the world around us, not our separation from it. In, Plant Spirit Medicine by Eliot Cowan (easily one of my favorite books), he shares how as a result of colonization, we have been sold and bought into the ideology that we are separate from the natural world and as a result we are more willing to exploit and allow others to exploit the Earth on our behalf because we see a separation from ourselves and the natural world around us, we no longer see the Earth and the rest of its inhabitants as our siblings we share space with. I am of the thought that THIS is why, as an ancestral practice I honor the Earth as our oldest ancestor. Think about it, regardless of what century or period of time humanity has been in, the Earth has always remained. Yup!
In the practices of ayurveda and herbalism, folk medicine we work with the cycles of the Earth because that is how we receive the wisdom needed for the time we are in. Not the past nor the future, the present moment. Each season reflects different lessons to us, if we are ready and willing to receive them and this usually requires us to find stillness. Winter provides us with many indicators of finding and practicing radical empathy, of course first for ourselves and then extending outward to others and then our communities. Because that is how Spirit works, its a recipe of sorts. If we look to nature and the wisdom it provides, we know winter season symbolizes the north in direction, the earth in elements, death, menstruation and shedding of old and the crone or sannyasa stage of life. All of these requiring reflection and radical empathy in solitude.
Winter in North
As a descendant of the African Diaspora, winter time often symbolized slower months due to the ground being cold and reducing the amount of crops that could be grown and harvested. For those in bondage, work and the expectation of production did not cease, it just shifted to other projects like processing and smoking meats.
The end of the calendar year also meant, many human traffickers were required to remedy their debts, which meant more often than not, enslaved families separated and sold. This had an impact in the planning for those that desired to escape, they needed to do it in the times that were slower, colder and near the holidays. One of the encoded methods of reading nature’s signs was to travel by locating the North Star (Polaris) and following the drinking gourd, the original “find your north or true north”. These are examples of ways in the past living in relationship to the Earth provided lessons, guidance and ways of practicing radical empathy. We had to find moments of quiet and solitude to witness where the stars were, when were the moments we could find what was ‘true’ to our souls desires.
Earth in Element
In herbalism and ayurveda, winter is a time of utilizing the root of plants and herbs because within them there is a strong concentration of medicine available to us. A stronger concentration more potent than what may have been needed in other seasons from leaves, berries or flowers. The root typically growing only underground (there are aerial roots yall) and not drawing attention or being noticed during the seasons when the beautiful flowers or berries have our attention.
In the darkness of the Earth, what in winter time may appear dead or dull is a magic brewing. A deep replenishment at the very foundation of the plant, the root system. Without the roots the stems, leaves and other parts of plants would not be able to do their part in the other seasons. Then this is a reminder that the foundation, the root of who we are individually and collectively is important to focus on and it happens in the darkness away from the attention of the onlookers. In solitude.
The element of Earth is (my favorite) and the element that can experience all of the others without completely dissipating. If you think of it, water can erode away portions at a time but underneath, the Earth is still there. Fire can scorch the Earth, burning the surface level while the Earth itself can contain its heat or fire at the core of its being. Air/Wind/Ether all can blow across the surface of the Earth lifting and moving pieces and yet the Earth itself is steadfast and unmoved.
The Earth in its solitude, is demonstrating how to practice reserving its energy, hibernating and resting so when it is time for transformation it has all it needs and we should be doing the same. Why are we encouraged or forced to come up with big resolutions or changes in the center of winter? This is typically why I do not offer workshops, classes and courses in this season unless they are pre-recorded because I too want to be nesting and resting while modeling to other to do the same. Nature is practicing brahmacharya (conservation of energy) and I will too.
Death and Shedding Of
Death does not have to be and I am not speaking literally here but have you ever found in winter the solitude to notice all of the people or things you need to release and let go of? Maybe it is because of the time for reflecting in our spaces or with family where we remember what is most important to our hearts and in that gratitude realizing all we could or should let go of. This could be grudges, toxic family members or other things that no longer serve us. The shedding of things could be easily or subtle.
Crone and Sannyasa Phase
The last aspect I will touch on here in regards to the solitude of winter encouraging us to deepen our connection to the Earth is the crone or sannyasa phase of life. Women or femmes that are familiar with the ways of old in tracking their moon cycle or the winter cycle of life, know this is the season when our wise woman is more prevalent. This is the older grandmother or aunt that has a remedy or wisdom that often in more youthful phases of life we may not recognize or understand. There’s a lot more rest happening in this phase and much less of a need to compete or convince anyone of anything.
In the context of yogic philosophy, a sannyasa is one at the phase or years of life when they are preparing for leaving this physical life (around 75 years old+) or renunciation. At this stage of life, yogic philosophy believes that we have seen all that we have seen and had every opportunity to fulfill our dharma (duty) in this life. We should no longer be working or attempting to prove anything to anyone and begin practicing renunciation by giving away most if not all of our material possessions, this is again to practice aparigraha (non-attachment) and prepare for departing this physical life. Some folks do practice this stage too early in their life and out of order with vedic philosophy which can lead to toxic positivity and spiritual bypassing.
For example, when yogic folks think we should practice non-attachment to social constructs like gender or race when these very constructs cause suffering and actual trauma (more on this another day). Have you ever sat at the feet of an elder or grandparent and allowed them to pour whatever wisdom they desired to share into you? Some times it comes out quirky, there are other times they shared wisdom about lived experiences we were never aware of and others they share a truth through a proverb we may have never heard but if we live long enough get the opportunity to realize.
My only surviving grandmother turned 90-years-old this last year and of her 7 children, my mother is the only one that has transitioned. The previous year, her second husband transitioned. When I speak with her she is still very full of life and often says that she has seen enough presidents, all her grandkids are grown and have children of their own so she is content. She even asks if there's anything in her home I would like or my siblings would want so we can come get it and who she should pass my mother’s ashes to. Although she is up driving around and mobile on her own, I know in her solitude which she is getting lots of these days, she is reflecting on the life she has lived and is no longer attached to her worldly possessions. Although winter is demonstrating this, I also pray to see the day I am able to reach this level of internal bliss.
This winter is a season like many others that at some point will come and go, but what will remain is how are we deepening our connection to the world around us. The interwebs are encouraging us to build communities and many are even suggesting that we build communities offline, like our ancestors did. This is something I have been urging for a long time because one of my elders in movement spaces has shared that genuine movement cannot happen in a technocracy- because the people will never control it. Well, haven’t we witnessed this in the last few years with Twitter becoming X, the censoring across social media platforms, political interference and now the forced sale/shutting down of TikTok. Come, join me in-person and in community for one of my Yoga for Liberation practices at the Ancestral Grounds on Sunday, February 5, at 11 am. Bring a mat or towel with you and flowers, herbs, a plant or fruit for the collective altar.