Entering The Dark
Winter is a time of moving deep inward. It is a time of conservation, rest, storage and quiet replenishment. When winter comes upon us there is a darkening of skies and a blanketing of growth. The cold drives us to huddle in our den and seek our warmth from within. We move toward greater receptive and introspective energy and slow our outward expansion.
Because of this pull toward rest, we may also be drawn to mediate, pray, dream or contemplate more deeply to restore our spiritual energy. The darkness of winter pulls us inward calling us to be more receptive to our own needs and the counsel held deep within us.
It takes great courage and self-reflection to look honestly at that which is no longer serving us. Inner and outer self-examination with a clarity of Inner Sight is required to look into the depths of our ougrown ways of being. We have to be willing to tell our self the truth about our self – not in a blaming or accusing manner but rather in a way that brings the light of consciousness to shine around that which we have been hiding from our self.
In the Winter Seasonal Initiations, we follow the natural rhythms of Earth as she turns inward towards the inner void. We bring our Soul work into alignment with the natural cycle of Earth which travels deeper into the stillness and darkness of the cold. All struggles with our Shadow bring us to knowing and understanding and affords us the chance to change our lives. With each part of our Self that we bring to light it lessens our burden of carrying blocked and congested energy. We begin to ease our burdens as we reveal to our self the hidden aspects of our hurts and wounds.
During the dark quiet of our Winter Initiations, we travel to give name to the root of our woundings. We look back from where we have come and forward to where we want to go. We allow our self to travel deep within our own process to the depths of our creative force and in that stillness we seek all that lies hidden within our woundings. We travel deeply within to bring to our consciousness the wounds, mechanisms, and motivations that have tied up our energy in ways unsettling to us. We seek out the knowledge about the root of our pain and use this knowledge to begin our ascent to bring our re-claimed energies into the light of the coming Spring.
Seemingly contradictory, the Winter Solstice – the beginning of our calendar winter – is actually the harbinger of light. Devoid of outward growth in the dead of winter, every day from the solstice forward gets longer.
As we draw deeper into ourselves and mimic this contradictory aspect of winter, we too engage in the core work of our Winter Rites of Passage – the process of storing, building and generating our own light. This light must first collect internally before it is strong enough to sustain our outward growth and expansion.
Our Winter Initiations bring us to the midpoint between the portals of our journey into the darkness and our emergence into the light. Having begun our descent we now travel deeper and deeper into the nadir of the darkness to confront our Shadow energies. As we reach these depths of our Winter Initiations we begin our ascent into the light of emergence.
Through our Winter Initiations while confronting our Shadow’s names, issues, and matrix we travel deeper and deeper into the dark, silent, stillness that is Winter. Reaching this nadir we stand fully in the dark void – the point of greatest imbalance. Standing at the nadir of the void we know that with our next breathe we name the root of our pain and thus we begin our ascent into the beginning of the light.
Winter Initiations
Bring the root of our wounds into our conscious awareness.
We name our Root issues and thus begin the work of releasing the power of the unnamed.
We bring our unconscious choices into the freedom of choice and in so doing liberate the light and energy held within these dysfunctional patterns.
We accept our mantel of mature wholeness and sovereignty.
We bring our mind into rapport with the natural order.
We take full possession of our ability to ensure that the children and their earthly inheritance will be secured.
We truly hunger to touch the deep mysteries of womanhood.
We deepen our soul and allow the breath of wisdom to enter.
For your Winter Initiations you may:
Winter Calling
We call you by the winter winds
that chill our bones and awaken our minds.
We call you by the warmth of the hearth fire
that gathers and comforts.
We call you by still waters,
whose mirror leads us to inner journeys.
We call you by the quiet earth that waits and dreams.
We call you by the visions we make and the love we share.
–Ruth Barrett: Women’s Rites, Women’s Mysteries
How to take your Winter Initiations
Each of the Seasonal Rites of Passage is set up as a 3 month process. One month is spent in Preparation and Severance, one month in The Threshold Experience of the rite, and one month in Incorporation.
As your Seasonal Initiations midwife, I will act as your guide, guardian, and gatekeeper as you embark on your own personal journey through the Seasonal Initiations.
We meet in two one hour sessions each month for three months – long distance by phone and I will be available to you throughout the process by email as you design and travel through your initiation.
I will guide you through the unfolding of the Seasonal Initiations, anchoring you in traditional preparations, severance, threshold and incorporation rituals and practices.
If you are undertaking your Seasonal Initiation outside you will choose a safe, natural place to be.
The Seasonal Rites of Passage are contemporized versions of traditional rites of passage and are designed to be accessible in today’s modern world and they can be undertaken in any order.
The Winter Initiations can begin in December or January and continue through January, February and March.
Tuition – Fee for each 3 month Seasonal Initiation Journey is $645. Payable in one or two payments.
Registration – To get started, read the Terms of Service and then click a registration button to pay securely with your credit card or Pay Pal.
Or you may contact me by email for questions, to make your payment, and schedule your sessions.
Register Here:
By making your payment you are committing to a Woman As Healer Winter Initiation with MaryAnn Copson. Once your payment has been received within a few days you will be contacted by email to schedule your first session.
All payments are non-refundable. If you decide not to proceed any automatic payments due will be processed as agreed and you will be given a credit that can be used for any Evenstar in-house service. Evenstar credit expires in two years from the date of cancellation or withdrawal.