With the autumn harvest over and stored, we look to the winter season for time to sit back and rest from our labours. Too often, however, we misunderstand the meaning of the winter season, seeing it as a season of impending death and hardship, a season of endings. But such a view is a product of linear thinking and is wrong. The seasons form a never-ending cycle, not a linear path. One season leads to the next as surely as the earth moves around the sun. Like each of the other seasons, winter looks both backward and forward. Winter gives us time for rest, renewal and review at the ending of the old year. Winter also allows time for planning for, and dreaming about, the coming year, a time when we choose those seeds we wish to plant in the approaching spring.
In the first few weeks of winter, we seek physical, intellectual and emotional rest. This allows the body and mind time to repair damage which has occurred over the past year and not given time to heal. Sit quietly and do nothing. Meditate. Watch nature move in its rhythm. Listen to the music of the masters or nature which encourages relaxation. Read material which uplifts and strengthens the spirit.
When you have had sufficient rest time to heal — remember that everyone has their own unique needs and speeds here — begin the process of renewal and review. If possible, find time to be alone with yourself. Renew your spirituality in your own way. Review what you feel are your basic values and needs. If some have changed, seek to understand why. Renew or revise your dreams and goals. Renew your contract with yourself to follow those dreams and attain those goals. Review and renew your commitments to learning, loving and serving. Review your strengths and weaknesses in light of your dreams and goals. Review the previous year: what went wrong; what turned out right; where could we have improved; where do we see improvement; what do we need to improve our situation? We can also use the winter season to make a self-appraisal of our strengths and weaknesses and define those areas which need improvement.
As winter wanes, the time approaches to plan for the coming spring. The process is best begun by writing down the goals and personalizing them. Make them your own by phrasing them "I will...." Next prioritize the goals and establish the destination points — how you will know when each goal is fulfilled — and milestones along the way. A goal is best attained by small, manageable steps that are easy to reach.
Once the map has been established for your journey into the new year, the time has come to gather seeds and the tools for planting the new. Compile a list of those who may help you reach your goals. Identify areas where weaknesses might exist in your plans. Winter is the season for strengthening areas of weakness. Determine what tools may be needed to accomplish the tasks and set in motion their acquisition. You may not need the harvesting machine now, but in the autumn, it may be too late to reserve one, and the harvest may be lost as a result.
Finally, plan for the rewards for a successful harvest next autumn. These rewards will include plans for distribution and celebration of the harvest. They may include a holiday, a special purchase, a gift to loved ones or to the community, or a feast or party. Keep these in a place where you can refer to them during the year. They can help to renew the desire to continue should the going gets rough.