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January is my birthday month, and it was also my mom's. For decades, we celebrated our birthdays together, and bought ourselves a bouquet of carnations to keep on the table and smell. We both loved the spicy floral smell of carnations. And then one day carnations didn't have a scent anymore. Suddenly the bouquet of carnations was a form without substance, like fire that produces no heat. It was as if we had fallen into a parallel universe where things had the appearance of reality but were not actually real.

Florist carnations are still like that, but I have gotten back the scent I love, because somebody put it in a bottle. In selecting perfumes for January, of course I picked carnations. L'Heure Bleu, which is also a favorite of my brother's. Brightest Bloom by Bath & Body Works, which I mostly use in the form of lotions and soaps. I also have a white glitter product, so it will do double duty this winter by also representing glittering snow. I also had bottle of real carnation extract which I put in my own lotions, soaps, hand sanitizer, etc. 

 This seemed all too apropos for me to post as close to the night of the Full Wolf Moon as possible. It was so bright with the colorful halos around it this weekend, it already appeared all the way there. Alas, I ran out of time with my schedule yesterday, but since the moon’s lingering beauty and power will remain at least three days more, this is still relevant. It is a special time of year, for those two items alone. To me, the wolf symbolizes resilience, perseverance, and inner resolves. Making the most of our reserves, if you will. Unless you are a purposeful lone wolf, there’s no reason not to draw on some help from the pack (or our friends and family) when we need to. At the beginning of the year, this January Full Moon also brings with it, an air of mystery of the unknown. The year is new, awaiting us and we have yet to see how exactly things are going to unfold. There might be some fear, caution, or trepidation with these looming question marks. This could also be coupled with excitement, anticipation, and a healthy sense of adventure. I’m going to lean in harder to the latter, myself. Facing the fear and doing it anyway, feels about right at the moment.

Scary Stuff

Speaking of shaking hands with the big scary out there, I will be sharing my intimate “Colleen Confessional” on my podcast, “Women Who Howl at the Moon” this month. It can be a little vulnerable and unnerving sharing some of my deepest thoughts with a microphone for 30-40 minutes and putting them out there on the Interweb for all to hear, but I am definitely one to trust my instincts.

The period just after the midwinter holidays can be difficult. For our ancestors this time of the year, before the chickens, ducks and geese began laying again and before the sheep and cattle began lactating, was a hungry time. Nowadays, when we don't appear to be so dependent upon the cycles of nature and farming for our very sustenance, the difficulty of the time of year settles into our souls in a different manner.

For those living in cold, northerly climates, this is when the deep freeze settles in (though with climate change, as we can see from Canada throughout the end of December, it can come earlier and stay longer). For those in more temperate areas such as here in the UK, it's the darkness of the grey, cloudy days and long nights that become hard to bear. It's also a time when money can be scarce, and we are paying our bills not only for the holiday time, but also higher bills for heating and electricity. We can feel overwhelmed, depressed, apathetic and more. This is the time when we just can't shake off that cold, and the colds and flus that have been going around since the holidays are getting stronger and stronger.

Though many Celtic pagans celebrate the new year at Samhain, early January still has a distinct feeling, as the hubbub of the winter solstice and Christmas celebrations subsides and we are left with the blank page of the year ahead. Now is a good time to encourage stillness and contemplation within our days if we are able, and to be aware of keeping our energies clear to allow the wisdom of spirit to emerge into our awareness and maintain our focus on our plans ahead. Traditionally for those who acknowledge the 12 days of Christmas there is an opportunity to seek omens each of the twelve days for guidance in the year ahead, but truly the world of spirit always shows us signs and messages if we open up to their potential. Seeking time every day to find stillness and open ourselves to the natural world around us allows us to receive this messages at any time.

Throughout January spend some time, even for just a few minutes, outside. Be in wild nature if you can, but just feeling the earth beneath your feet, or seeing the sky or having the wind on your face is all you need. Breath deeply and let your senses open gently, focusing on nothing in particular…let yourself remember that the earth is alive and sacred, wherever you are, and just connect. Be with it. Be aware of the flight of birds, the shapes of clouds, the sound the wind makes, know that spirit is speaking to us always, and let their meaning and messages come to you in each its own way. Listen. Breathe. Pay attention to your dreams.  

The grey skies and the angle of the sun in a British January often conspire to wash the colour out of the landscape. Whatever colour remains, that is, after the leaves come down, and the grass dies back. Sometimes we get frost and snow – pretty at first but rapidly greying as well. Our winters tend to lack visual drama. What we get instead is drab, and demoralising. This is why celebrating colour in January is so very important.

There are of course brighter days, when the lower angle of the sun can produce surprising effects. Intensely bright blue skies are always possible. I walked on Christmas day this year, and the combination of cloud and low light conspired to create soft light, filling the woods with unexpectedly warm tones. When there’s any kind of decent daylight, it is important to get out there and experience it, especially if you are someone prone to winter blues.