Have you noticed an "energy shift" within yourself over just the past month?
Recall, if you will, that only four months ago, you may have been in a very "internal"
state. Certainly, you got up and went to work -- at least most days. You did what you
needed to do for "life mainenance." And as you recovered from the holiday season, and
took a look at your bills, you probably made some "resolutions" about becoming more "on
focus" with your financial life for this year.
Similarly, as you felt a little sluggish, and noticed a few extra pounds, you similarly
resolved to "go on a diet" and "exercise more."
And perhaps, as you contemplated the "pile-up" of things that you might have glossed
over during summer -- but are now much too evident in your home -- you say to
yourself, "This is it. This year, I have to get organized!"
During the deepest, darkest part of winter -- during January -- is not the time to
make dramatic changes, no matter what our "New Year's Resolutions" may suggest. But
it is time to build some awareness and intention about what our desires really may be
for this coming year.
Referring back to the "yin/yang" symbolism we considered in last month's letter; even
though we saw the birthing of "yang," or outward-moving energy at the winter solstice,
it was not yet formed. And it shouldn't be. Deep winter is a time of energetic retreat and
withdrawal, not of moving forward.
Do you sense that these various resolutions, or intentions, have a common theme?
Think about it. In one sense or another, they all have to do with cleansing, or purification.
And while we may form these intentions in a sort of loose, disassociated way in January --
in a way that reflects a dis-satisfaction with life as it is -- we typically get the
energy to "do something" in early February.
As we'll note throughout the year, the inner sensings that we have often correspond
to the ancient cycle of yearly celebrations and festivals. The festival honoring the
energy-shift of early February is Imbolc ,
also known as Candlemas. If you research this festival, you'll find that purification
was a dominant theme. Then, as you reflect on your "New Year's Resolutions," you might
realize that they all share in this common theme of "cleansing" -- your home,
your diet (perhaps even your physical body, through purifying tonics and healthier foods,
and your overall energy patterns (another reason that we decide on an exercise program
right about now). This even extends to "cleaning up" your finances, refocusing your
business endeavors, and cleaning out clutter in all its forms.
You may find that this purification energy actually starts around
Imbolc (traditionally, February 1st - 2nd), and really builds throughout the
month. You might start with going back to the gym, or picking up an extra
dance class. You might start with cleaning out just one box overflowing with
"junk mail." And you will find that near the end of the month, as the days are
definatively longer and we start seeing true signs of spring, that your energy
and intentions are becoming very strong!
If you are a Level 1 practitioner, you may desire to really immerse yourself
into this art, and progress energetically as well as physicall. If this is so, start to pay
more attention to the feelings in your body as you do your practice. Allow yourself
some times when you slow your practice down, and just feel how your body wants to go.
Also, begin to pay more attention to how you are responding to the energy shifts in the
world around you. The large, sun-cycle, annual rhythms that I'm writing about now are
the most overt, and hence the easiest, to tap into. Perhaps you want to keep a journal,
and start noting how your energies are changing with the rhythm of the seasons. Over a
period of two to three years, you will gain much more sensitivity -- and much more
capability -- for working with seasonal energies in a relaxed and harmonious way.
If you are a Level 2 practitioner, this may be a time for you to develop greater
clarity with your art. I recommend that you cultivate two kinds of "base" practices; one
internal, and the other external. Your external practice is what
you have been doing all along; going to class, practicing at home, getting more technique,
refinement, focus, and clarity. This is where you engage your mind, actively studying music
and developing choregraphies. The easiest thing about your external practice is that no matter
how busy you are, it is relatively easy to schedule and track, because you feel that you
are "doing something." At the end of a session, you know that you have "accomplished something,"
whether it is technique drill, core conditioning, or developing your latest dance.
In contrast, your internal practice may feel as though you aren't doing anything. This could be
a challenge, if you are used to measuring yourself in terms of how much you accomplish each day.
For those seeking to cultivate Level 3 capabilities, this is the best time -- energetically --
to start energy cultivation experiences, and to mesh them with the quiet time of dark winter, when
it is easiest to do energy sensing.
Those who are doing a Level 4 practice will draw upon the nascent energy formation that we
have in deepest winter, just before spring, to do very powerful internal work. This is a time for
building what those in alchemical traditions call the "bud-will."
For all of us, let's remember that the practice of these different Levels is not meant to be an
ego-thing. This morning, I took a half-hour of quiet time to do a Level 2
awareness and sensitivity practice, just "listening" to my spine and breathing with it. This
afternoon, as we start a new Beginner's class, I will be doing my own Level 1 practice
even as I teach the Beginners. Level 3 can sometimes fit into an
office day, doing a moment of energy-gathering before a big meeting. And while it is this
dark and quiet, I sometimes find it useful to go to bed very early on a weekend evening, and
get up - literally - in the middle of the night for some Level 4 "quiet time."
And as an aside, for those of us who are at or are approaching a "certain age" -- and who
find themselves waking up in the middle of the night whether you want to or not -- consider
that this may be one way that your body is introducing you to a wisdom path.
