The days have grown shorter, enveloping us in more darkness while the temperatures have turned chilly. Most of the leaves have fallen to the ground, providing coverage for the soil and the critters. As nature enters this time of dormancy, we, on the other hand, tend to enter a period of increasing busyness. Thanksgiving is behind us and suddenly other holidays are upon us. One can almost feel the pressure of “getting things ready” for whatever winter festivities one celebrates.
Recently, Linda travelled out of state just after Thanksgiving and was amazed by the sudden transformation of house decorations where she landed. Then again, she noted that flying home on Monday (after Thanksgiving), it seemed as if a switch had been thrown and the orange, brown, and green of Thanksgiving became the red, green, and white of a totally different holiday. It gave her pause to think about our time, space, and mindfulness during this busy time of the year.
With those thoughts, what is the true nature of the season? Looking at history, Thanksgiving has its manufactured story of bringing disparate people together in harmony – the truth, as we all know, was not so civil. Despite that, it is a lovely concept that is practiced by many with good intent and can be a wonderful tradition. But how do we pause and hold onto that feeling of closeness and gratitude just a bit longer before we clean up the dishes and turn our attention to preparations for another holiday?
How do we slow what feels like the press forward? We seem to rush to get to one place, only to wrap that up and move on to another. Perhaps it is an addiction of sorts and the preparation compels us. Perhaps it has to do with expectations of ourselves and/or of others. Maybe it is just a habit fueled by commercialization. Whatever it is, it is the opposite of nature’s movement toward dormancy. When we are out of sync with nature, we should perhaps take that as a clue that we are going in the wrong direction.
Therefore, we invite you to purposefully take some time to pause during this season and reflect upon the intent of your celebrations. We invite you to pause, to think, to love, to appreciate, to give thanks, to remember, to pray, to be…to be still and let the dormancy work its magic.
Activity: What does the true meaning of your holiday celebration mean to you? How can you hold onto that as you prepare your activities? How might you experience dormancy as a time of needed stillness? As we think of gifting to others (and, yes, yourself) how can you include non-tangible gifts that are priceless such as a visit with a loved one, a call, a letter from the heart, and time to oneself for reflection?
We are so thankful to each of you who have been along with us on the TEO Ka-tet journey. During this season (and beyond), we send you love, peace, joy and grace. Take time to be still, to be dormant for just a bit. Pay attention to the wisdom and the rhythm of nature. She knows something that long precedes us.
Stay well, stay curious, and happy holidays!
Linda and Jim
* Ka-tet - A group of people bound together by ka (destiny) for a sense of purpose. Credit: Stephen King from his novel, The Gunslinger.
TEO Ka-tet is the property of James Burke and Linda Pierce operating as TEOconsulting, LLC
https://teoconsulting.org/
We haven't had a normal Christmas in two years now. Last Christmas we were dealing with my Mom passing and taking care of Dad and this year Christmas was packed up in preparation for moving to our new house. Decorations were sparse, and mostly from the Dollar General with a homemade Angel!! But it has definitely given us some time to think a bit more about what new traditions might look like in a new place. We've always been so involved with Church and mailing and baking, that most years did go by in a blur.
I'm hopeful as we "reboot" our Christmas traditions we can consider the restfulness we've managed this year. The simplicity and the quiet this year has been. Maybe, just maybe, every minute doesn't have to be filled with a project.
And just to be sure 2024 is done, I built a fire and burned all of the calendars in the house!! Here's to new beginnings!!
A good reminder that the earth itself is trying to get us cozy, lazy, peaceful.