One of the wonders of living in an environment where it snows is the timeless moments of white cover that blanket the many arrangements of human hands. The common objects and paths that become covered with snow give them a special quality for a few moments, as if the pristine arrangement had been there all along. Here, divine hands cover the work of human hands to help awaken the soul of the moment, the essence of Life’s mystery, the wonder of infinite creation. In this space, winter nourishes wisdom.

Wonder is the beginning of wisdom. The wonder of a snow white powder covering what has been made by human hands and sculpted by human minds is, in itself, an event of awe and wonder. When falling from the sky, it silently speaks with sweet clarity of the natural order of things to beckon our attention, an inner pause for reflection, a quiet communion with the whole created order of which we are a part. Hushed, solemn, a sacred moment is present for all to experience when it’s snowing.

Curiously, we often miss these wonder-filled wisdom moments. We concern ourselves with how the snow will slow us down, keep us from our schedules and obligations. We fret about time, work, loss, gain and a hundred other things that disturb our wellness and inner peace. We miss opportunities that are given beyond human hands that can feed our souls. We fail to learn one of the greatest lessons in life: Mastering how to remain still, calm and centered. We miss the beauty by not seeing it, not attending to it.

The wisdom of winter is in the stillness, the cold, the wind, the short days and long nights, the sun, the clouds, the ice and snow. The wisdom of winter speaks to our souls not to our egos. Our ego detests winter because it gets in the way of efficiency, production and the strive/drive dis-ease we’ve all caught. The wisdom of winter comes in the experiences of slowing down, watching our steps, sitting by the fire, studying life and disconnecting from unnatural  rhythms and robotic lives. . . .

The wisdom of winter understands the immeasurable, the imaginative, the ineffable. Every year it invites us to quiet our minds, to be still, to listen to the silence, enjoy the snow and daily follow Nature’s Way in co-creating images and lives of infinite beauty. The winter wisdom asks us to rest, relax, release and realign ourselves with her rhythms, to reconnect with our Essence and teach our children and grandchildren the ways of our True Self which is a sacred unity  filled with awe, wonder and creativity.  

I know some of you will understand and even agree with these words. I also know that some of you will resist these words and see them as something only foolish dreamers would believe and give themselves to. For those of you who begin with “NO” and want to drive yourself and others into a ditch; where did you learn to push, shove, jostle, tense up and go against the natural flow of your True Nature? How does it feel to fight the river of life, the seasons of soul, the wisdom of uncertainty, the unified field that flows in, around and through you and all that is? Where’s the gain, the loss and why?

Along with Socrates I can say: “I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.” And in my ignorance, I’ve played the game of giving attention to all the shiny objects that came my way rather than Natures Way. Over my many decades I learned that the most valuable things are not the achievements, the accolades, money, power, positions, the external human creations. The most valuable things are the intangible things that come from the depths of our souls and Nature; the silence and serenity of Life. 

So today, when the snow is falling, the temperatures are dropping and you can’t get out of your driveway because of the winter weather; shift your attention to your soul, your inner gyroscope and ask yourself: “What is this moment asking of me?” The first words will probably come from your ego mind. Let them pour forth until they stop, then listen for the still small soft voice that comes from deep within…….These words will be few but filled with wisdom. Take them in, ponder their depth and heed their wisdom.

• If the soul needs places that haven’t been rearranged by humans, where will you find them and how often will you engage them?
• Meditate on the places within you that have been rearranged by humans. What might this be saying to you about your life and your soul?
• Ponder this insight by Francis Bacon – “ Silence is the sleep that nourishes wisdom.” Give some of your silence to the cold and snow this week in a way that’s nourishing. Are you willing to imagine and experiment with this source of wisdom?