365 Verses
Notes on Living Life
in a Sacred Way
No. 16
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Dear friends
In keeping with the winter instinct to consolidate energy, and to gestate, I am changing the format of these notes to make them more readable, thus more pleasurable for you, and less labor-intensive and thus allowing me to write them more frequently! Woohoo for the defining edges of winter.
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THE NESTS WE MAKE
On
Sunday, my son Gabriel and I stacked some wood that had been delivered
to the house. As we were stacking, I recalled the big pallet of wood
at our house when I was a teenager, which housed (my father discovered, when retrieving some wood)
a nest of mice.
Maybe our stack will provide a home for a little
furry thing, or maybe it will be a home for an array of spiders.
Chances are, it will be some creature's new habitat.
With the
onset of very cold weather, my instinct is to slow down, draw energy
inward, and create...well, a nest. The other day, I sat down to write
in my living room, and the whole setting just felt wrong. So I began
to care for my creature self. I made a pot of coffee, I lit a fire,
and I lit a pair of candles on the table I was working on. My drafty living room was suddenly warm, and light, with a freshly-ground coffee aroma.
I am
remembering, these days, how much I am a creature, who needs basic
creature comforts in order to be happy and productive. Warm lighting,
snuggly blankets, a hot drink in a favorite mug. These are simple
things, but they go a long, long way with this creature. Once
I set up my "nest," I wrote for 5 hours straight!
The more I watch my
own habits and the habits of those around me --including the mice-- the
more I'm convinced that we are nesting creatures. Why not indulge ourselves in this instinct, as the mice do. I don't mean just designing a comfortable living room, or a snuggly bedroom, though that's important. I mean taking that extra little bit of time to tend ourselves in our spaces. To sit bundled in a warm blanket and listen to music. To luxuriate, over a hot cup of tea, in the comforts and blessings of a warm house on a cold winter day. To share, as we are able, our spaces with others. For this creature, anyway, these are essential things for winter happiness.
.....
Practice: Ask yourself what nesting instinct wants attention. Is it to turn down the heat and pile on the blankets? Maybe it's to light a fire and to read by it. Or if you don't have a fire place, maybe you buy ten candles and arrange them on your coffee table to create a place of warmth and light. Perhaps it's time for baking, and filling your house with sweet aromas, or time for simmering some drops of clove and cinnamon oil in a pan. There are many ways to tend the self, and with very little effort, find comfort.
.....
With warm winter hugs,
from my nest to yours,
Cynthia
Intuitive Coaching and Sound Healing
Extraordinary Coaching Using Extraordinary Means
www.cynthiayoder.com
mail@cynthiayoder.com
Tel. 609-799-6071
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"Unto this wood I came
As to a nest;
Dreaming that sylvan peace
Offered the harrowed ease-
Nature a soft release
From men's unrest"
--Thomas Hardy
Thank you for participating in "365 Verses". I welcome your comments and suggestions, and feel free to pass this along to friends. Some of these are also posted on my blog, www.magicdreamhouse.com
Copywrite: All text and most photos on these pages are the property of Cynthia Yoder, copywrite 2009. Some stock photography is used by permission. Nothing may be duplicated electronically or in print without permission from Cynthia Yoder. Exception: you are welcome to forward this email in its entirety to others with the inclusion of this notice.
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