These are journaling prompts to support you in being present for the season, from Winter solstice through the new year.
As we move into Winter in the Northern hemisphere and for many a time of holiday celebrations, the natural world is calling us to go inward, reflect and digest the past year as we wait for the returning light and warmth, and with it new growth.
The suggestion for these prompts is to set a timer for your writing; 15 to 30 minutes is good. This will allow you to surrender into the process. Let yourself write for your eyes only. Try to keep writing the entire time you have chosen. You may find you begin and end several times or shift into a new topic altogether – that is good! Just keep writing and let yourself be surprised by what you have to say.
DAY 1/Dec 20 : Take a moment to feel the ground underneath you, its steadiness sending you messages of support. What is rooted deep within you giving structure to your life even when you do not see it? Write a message from the richness underneath what you can see.
DAY 2/Dec 21 : This time gives us the longest nights, a rich time of darkness. If possible go outside tonight and see the night sky. What is it like for you to have a tighter circle of sight, to have darkness around you? Can you light a candle and write with no other light, huddled in close to the circle of its light? Begin your writing - The night is asking me to…
DAY 3/Dec 22 : Sometimes we feel we are moving ahead through darkness, but still we move ahead. Take a moment to breath, pour attention into your body. How do move forward when you can’t make out the path ahead? What part of you guides you? What outside yourself guides you?
DAY 4/Dec 23 : This is a time of celebrating the abundance of the harvest and what we have stored for the non-producing months while the world around us rests. What in your life do you have in abundance? What do you have plenty of to share?
DAY 5/ Dec 24 : If possible take a walk outside today. Look for something that is slightly hidden, that may be hard to notice unless you are paying attention. Write about the beauty of this hidden thing.
DAY 6/ Dec 25 : Write about a time you received a wonderful gift that completely surprised you.
DAY 7/ Dec 26 : Make time to connect to a tree outside today. Just sit and look at this growing, alive being. Sometimes trees are honored as elders. What does this tree elder want to remind you about yourself?
DAY 8/ Dec 27 : What has been present for you in the past year that you are ready to let go of? Write about how you feel complete and done with this thing or things. If possible, go and watch the sunset and be present for this ending of the day.
DAY 9/ Dec 28 : Imagine a place to rest or hibernate while a storm passes by outside. This might be a cave or burrow or nest or luxury hotel room. See what appeals to your internal self today. Write about this place in detail- what is there with you? What does it smell like? What keeps you warm and safe?
DAY 10/ Dec 29 : What deserves a refresh in your life?
DAY 11/ Dec 30 : Think about a goodbye in your life that might have gone unacknowledged. It could be a goodbye with a person or something else. How can you honor that goodbye now? What would you want to have said or done to make it feel more complete?
DAY 12/ Dec 31 : What parts of yourself are you inviting in to your life now? How are you making space for them to feel welcome and celebrated? Imagine you are throwing a party and they are invited. What will you all do to call in a new year, a new beginning?
Day 13/ Jan 1 : Let yourself take a few moments to experience stillness. If possible just notice your breath quietly flowing in and out. Feel yourself not doing, just being. Sometimes new beginnings start with waiting. Sometimes new beginnings start with receiving. What do you find in the stillness of possibility when nothing has been started just yet?