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I plunge ever deeper toward sadness. With the absence of the light, I lose strength and warmth and hope. It is the same cycle every year - losing the light, I lose part of my soul. It is the time to visit the Underworld. To wait in Darkness as I am unmade, cocooned in sorrow until I am ready to break free once more.
No wonder the animals hide or seek warmer climes! I feel I understand the urge to seek shelter and sleep all winter, the compelling desire to fly away south.
I notice a lot of my Hatrack friends are also experiencing a darker sense of being as Winter begins to close its grip and hold us in thrall.
I just want to let you know it's okay to flow somewhat with the seasons. This is a time to draw into yourself and replenish your energies, so that when Spring comes, you can burst forth with new strength.
I love thee, my friends. If only we could all burrow together in a dark cave and keep each other warm.
Posts: 3141 | Registered: Apr 2000
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Good idea Jenny. *finds a comfy place with a lot of place for all hatrackers, rolls herself to sleep.*
Posts: 3526 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Winter was delightful to me in such places as Wyoming, where I could be pretty darn sure that the clouds carrying the snow woulld dump their snow and go away leaving lots of beautiful sunshine and fresh air. Also, the cold was a "dry" cold which feels much nicer than say the "wett" (humid) cold of snowy places like Buffalo, NY.
*Shivers remembering Buffalo - and always being cold*
The PNW has lots of grey, rainy, humid cold days that seem endless. A few years ago it literally rained for the ole 40 days and nights scenario, anywhere from a cloud-filled misty light rain to a torrential downpour. When the sun sneaked out for a 15 minute break, everything literally came to a stop as all the depressed people went outside blinking and sneezing to get a little caress from the watery orb above.
Posts: 5609 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Summer (Dec/Mar) - 33o C to 43o C (So called) Winter (Jun/Aug) - 20 o C to 35o C
Its too d*mn hot all year long!
I must live with the air conditioner turned on. You could bake an egg on the street, right now, I swear.
Posts: 1785 | Registered: Oct 2003
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I notice the same thing, Jenny. I spend a lot of time outdoors, so I think I tend to notice more -- and be affected more -- by the lack of light in the winter.
A friend of mine who has problems with depression sits in front of a fancy full-spectrum light for an hour every morning and every afternoon. He says it helps him a lot.
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Winter is my favorite time of year - none of my triggering airborne allergens to deal with!! However, I do absolutely agree about the lack of sunlight being an factor in how I generally feel.
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This thread title makes me think of Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising. I haven't read those since I was 9ish, I should go back to them at some point.
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Light therapy, vitamins and exercise do help for being awake and alive, but there's nothing so satisfying in the winter as curling up in a warm bed with lots of blankets, those you love and some good reading material.
All things in balance, each has their time. Posts: 1777 | Registered: Jan 2003
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Jenny, I know how you feel. I hate winter with a passion. My depression usually starts in the fall as soon as the days get shorter. I love sunlight, and I loathe the difference in the quality of light during the winter. It's a cold light, not a warm one. I also miss seeing as many birds.
To help me, usually during fall I collect pieces of nature. Pretty leaves, buckeyes, anything will do. I display them around my house so that in January I'm reminded of what's beneath all that snow. I also keep one birdfeeder regularly filled so that I'm able to see the birds that do hang around. Other than that I just try to get through it month by month.
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I love the seasons, all of them. The reason it happens for me is much more psychological. I'm not sure how i'm going to handle it this year, I just moved out. At my mom's I'd sleep for 10-14 hours straight.
Posts: 1132 | Registered: Jul 2002
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My daughter is a Snow Baby. She loves the winter. If there is a quarter-inch of snow on the ground, she will beg me to go play in it with her! I can't hate winter when Abby loves it so much.
I'm learning to appreciate it more. It's just the Darkness that gets to me.
I like snuggling. Anybody else out there want to come snuggle with me in the warm cave?
Posts: 3141 | Registered: Apr 2000
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This year I spent from about July on, dreading the coming of winter. I told myself that it was stupid and that I should enjoy the good weather we had, but I couldn't stop. Now that it is basically here. I've had a spurt of energy. I think the dread was weighing more on me than the season does. I think the Darkest month for me is February, even though the days are lengthening again by then.
But I'm all about cocooning with a good book too. The problem for the last year and a half is that our bedroom wasn't exactly the most restful place in the world since it was in need of rennovation. But I'm putting my "energy spurt" towards working on the room and hopefully it will be finished in a couple of weeks. Then I can burrow in and not come out til Spring.
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A few days ago, I would have said that I was handling November better than I normally do. Today, though I am feeling the darkness.
quote:I just want to let you know it's okay to flow somewhat with the seasons. This is a time to draw into yourself and replenish your energies, so that when Spring comes, you can burst forth with new strength.
This is interesting, and I think there's some wisdom in it. The years when the darkness hit me the hardest were those years when I tried to keep really busy during December. I sang in the church choir, and made all the Christmas cookies, and decorated my house by myself. By the time January rolled around, I was exhausted, and would end up completely withdrawing into myself until spring. I would quit choir from burnout, and wouldn't clean the house, and could barely function at work. Last year, I didn't do a darn thing for the holiday except go to Midnight Mass, and managed to survive the winter without feeling too terrible. So I think you may be right in that it IS natural to slow down a bit. I've already noticed that I've been doing a lot more reading lately, which strikes me as a very cozy thing to do.
quote: I like snuggling. Anybody else out there want to come snuggle with me in the warm cave?
I am all for that. I don't get near as much snuggling as I would like these days. *snuggles Andrea*
quote:I think the Darkest month for me is February, even though the days are lengthening again by then.
Yeah. Late January and Feburary. Actually, there is a long-time Chicago Mensan who throws a Winter Doldrums party around that time every year. I am thinking I might throw one this year. Or some kind of Hatrack gathering. I know that Wenchcon and the outing to Dana's last season really helped me make it through the winter.
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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quote:When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back; Three from the circle, three from the track; Wood, bronze, iron; water, fire, stone; Five will return, and one go alone.
Iron for the birthday, bronze carried long; Wood from the burning, stone out of song; Fire in the candle-ring, water from the thaw; Six Signs the circle, and the grail gone before.
Fire on the mountain shall find the harp of gold Played to wake the Sleepers, oldest of the old; Power from the green witch, lost beneath the sea; All shall find the light at last, silver on the tree.
I remember the teacher who showed me how to use a card catalogue. Susan Cooper was the very first author I found that way.
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Great books. Especially The Dark Is Rising. I reread them (or at least the best of them) almost every year.
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I was young enough to wonder about whether it could be a true story. My first exposure to the Green Man -- some very old mythos in there.
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Me too (wondering if it could be real). I *really* wanted it to be real. I wanted to be an Old One pretty badly.
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Yeah. Whenever we would go for a drive, I'd be eying the shapes of the hills and scanning door knockers for hidden sigils.
I so wanted to be called to a high purpose, to be asked for a great sacrifice. I was ready, and I just knew there had to be more to the world than what was on the surface.
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Me too. Well, I was never espeically keen on the idea of making a noble sacrifice if I could help it, but I was right there with you on the rest of it.
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quote: Teshi, have I mentioned that you're one of my favorite people around here?
Thank you Noemon
EDIT: I always liked the idea of being like Bran from The Grey King and onwards. I thought he was cool (trying not to give to much away here) although I wasn't so pleased in the end.
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Bran always seemed too aloof for me to want to be him; I'm right with you all on wanting to be an Old One (or even just someone who hung out wih them),though.
As for the real topic of this thread, my mom accuses me of having S.A.D., myself.
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Amen to that. I mean, I'd always wanted to go anyway; I have family there (second cousins, etc.), and I did my sixth grade country report on Wales and fell in love with the scenery. But the descriptions just sound so cool, it increased my longing... (I wasn't lucky enough to discover those books until I was 14.)
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Pfft. Please. Wales has some of the most beautiful countryside I've ever had the fortune of driving and hiking through (mostly driving though).
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*holes up with the rest of you* I agree with BannaOJ - February is my Darkest month. The color and music of Christmas get me through December, and if there is snow, January is bearable. But by February, even the snow can't get me by. It just becomes too much. February is a very hard month for me. March is only a little better.
Posts: 3214 | Registered: Apr 2002
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March is good! I gave birth to the world's most beautiful, intelligent, and creative girl early in March; she'll turn 7 this time around. Also, March is fun because pear trees start making their tiny little fuzzy leaf holders before they pop out into bloom in April. My kids and I used to check our pears trees for them on a daily basis.
quote:Karen, let's plan something. Sounds fun! Maybe mid-December?
That might be doable. I do have some plans for December, but most of those are during the week, so my weekends are free (so far, anyway). Any ideas? My mom said she is willing to loan me her car on Saturdays, so I can drive somewhere if need be. Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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ElJay is having the henna in February; want to try for Jan or March instead? (or xnera, you and I could do something by ourselves in Dec, and then something later too)
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Oh, no, it's alright. I know the world doesn't revolve around me! And besides, it's my own darn fault for agreeing to help out with the Sunday School Christmas Program this year. Posts: 3214 | Registered: Apr 2002
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