Preparing for Winter: Phase Three

When one reaches contentment with the coexistence of the positive and negative, the power to transmute energy is revealed…

For part three in the series: Preparing for Winter, from herbalist and wellness expert, Danny Kahn.

The seed symbolically sprouts with the spring equinox and grows tall, reaching its apex of growth potential at the summer solstice. It then releases this newfound sense of growth as creative expression through to the fall equinox, where we begin to harvest the fruits of our labor.

By building up the body’s natural defenses, we ensure stable nutritional balance and a strong foundation, stabilizing the body for optimal assimilation of the mental harvest. Our movement practices focus on release of tension to clear space in the body for positive growth, much like a farmer tills the land. Within our balancing postures we find the reality of the mind, body and breath, moving as one whole.

The next step is to cultivate proper nourishment for the development of the mental seed-image which is to be germinated to sprout new growth come spring. With each cycle our intention is to process and digest the contents of the year for greater ease in organization into a sensible, progressive pattern, which can then serve as a launching pad for cumulative improvement day by day and year over year.

Yield to the flow, let go of resistance.

Through the process of digesting mental content, you will inevitably be greeted with negative thoughts and feelings brought up from memories filed away from earlier in the year. The more these feelings are ignored and suppressed, the greater their weight will be upon you. When they are directly and swiftly addressed through acceptance, they are much easier to overcome.

The moments and memories which trigger these feelings have come and gone; evolved into the next as part of the infinite cycle of transformation. Knowing that the past is the past and is no longer present, your feelings in regards to a memory is not the memory itself, but rather, your reaction to the memory. This is important to realize.

Reacting vs. creating.

By reacting we remain attached, stagnant in time. When in reality, change is the only constant, and with change is implied creation. Let’s embrace change and let go, accepting our constant state of transformation as the past sheds its skin revealing the present moment, while the present plants the seed for future moments. Let us let go of reacting to the past, and instead focus on creating the future. We can even symbolically represent this transformation when noticing that rearranging one letter of the word reacting brings us swiftly to the state of creating. All it takes is an acceptance of change.

Reacting is in the past, Creating is happening now, for the infinite propagation into future. To be proactively creating, one must let go of resistance to any negative feelings that arise, and simply allow them to be present without reacting to them. They will pass on their own accord if embraced fully and allowed to be as they are, without interference. Just as if you go sloshing around in muddy water, it will remain muddy, yet when left still and untouched, the dirt will settle and the water will be made clear, which is its natural state after-all. When the ‘water’ of the mind is restored to its natural state of transparency, all things can be seen as they are without resistance.

Centered in the mind.

This transparency is the center; the essence of awareness. It is our natural state which is always present, albeit at times shrouded in layers of obscurity brought on through life experiences. As we move through each moment, the water gets stirred up… we get cloudy. But we must remember this natural state of clarity as a reference point that we can always return to. Realizing the existence of this center point of awareness enables the greatest success in control of thoughts, feelings, and emotions. By accepting all without resistance, by embracing change and allowing transformation to take its course, we can powerfully create the future of our greatest ideals.

+ Want to learn more? Stay up to date with Danny on Instagram.

Lead image by Dane Bourdo.

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7 years ago

Best sentence: “As we move through each moment, the water gets stirred up… we get cloudy.” :)
xxx finja / http://www.effcaa.com

Laila
7 years ago

Powerful, much needed wisdom. THANK YOU. <3

Mm, I needed this. How inspiring. Thank you!

Anonymous
7 years ago

This has been extremely helpful to me in my present state of mind. Thank you.

7 years ago

This is so helpful and exactly what I needed today!