Week 6: Time of the Last Snow
“Tem welhxs” in the Squamish Calendar
Reflection
Standing on tiptoes I can almost touch
what was yesterday;
leaning towards what may come tomorrow
Light peeking over the horizon
longing to touch the earth
Coaxing life
once again
to arrive
out of nothingness
Evidence & Ecology
Mother is beginning to unbutton her heavy winter cloak.
She won’t be shrugging it off her shoulders for weeks yet, but the first signs of its loosening have occurred.
Like the pendulum on a clock, her moods will swing from one extreme to another.
Snow and sleet followed by sun and wind, rain and hail; it can all occur within a matter of hours.
It’s almost as if a tug of war with a seasonal thread is being played by forces unseen.
Winter does not want to give up its grip. And spring is still too sleepy to put up much of a fight.
A dance over the threshold of the seasons.
The waning and waxing neither sure of how far they can reach or willing to let go of their dominance.
Letting go and becoming. Simultaneously.
Where can you shed what no longer serves you?
How can you prepare yourself for a shift into what will serve you in the months to come?
The Practices
Embodied Nature Meditation
Ephemeral Breath
Find a comfortable position to begin this practice, either sitting or lying down. Ensure you are comfortable and warm to avoid bodily distractions.
Begin by drawing awareness to your breath. There is no need to change or alter your breathing; only become fully aware of its continual cycle of inhalations and exhalations through your nose.
Once you feel fully present in this moment, and with your breath, begin to draw your awareness to the moments in between your breath - the subtle pause at the end of your inhale, and the beautiful stillness at the end of an exhale…..
Somatic Witnessing
Rooted Slow Movement and Sensory Tracking
Begin by grounding yourself.
During the cold, wet weather of this season begin by connecting with the earth through your feet to create stability and merge yourself into the cold, damp earth.
Using your senses begin to track and notice the feelings of wet, cold and soft textures on the skin.
Allow yourself some time to relax into this state of feeling. Of being with these sensations.
Once you feel comfortable in these sensations invite your body to begin slow movements of emergence…..
Story of Place
A Conversation with the Season
It falls to the earth softly with a weight so imperceptible, yet halfway through winter its cumulative effects can cave in roofs and fully bury small trees.
Snow.
The earth laid quiet beneath its blanket. It can begin falling as early as late October, and continue on until April in parts farther north. It is both a signifier of the beginning of winter, and its end.
We have now arrived at the halfway point - six weeks past the winter solstice, and six weeks before the spring equinox. A mid point so fluid that weather fluctuates according to moods not unlike that of a teenager. Blustery snow followed by beautiful sunshine and tropical temperatures followed by hail and a plunge back into deep freeze conditions.
In the Celtic tradition this time of year was referred to as Imbolc, a term that means “in the milk”. When the first lambs would be born, bringing with them the first milk in months and with it hope. For those that survived the long cold. A glimmer of what was to come.
The Squamish, here on the west coast, named this transitory period Tem Welhxs or the Time of the Last Snow.
So intimately tied to the land, their knowing was essential to survival and ensured their success as generations inhabited this land for millennia before colonial arrival.
These times of waxing and waning. Where one moment has not full ceased and the next has not fully bloomed; periods of transition, tumultuous weather, straddling two opposing seasons are often challenging to navigate. No doors have closed. The options to fall backward or forward are still open……
The Invitation
Nature Kinship
Weekly nature connection practices aligned seasonally to engage with your locale. Encouraging immersion, appreciation and spiritual attunement with the more than human world around you.
Always remember to enjoy these practices within the bounds of your physical and ecological limits (do not sit outside when it’s -40, or walk on slippery surfaces), practice “leave no trace” and mindful reciprocity (take only what you need, ask permission from the earth, and only leave what is naturally biodegradable)
Frama Studio Store
Winter Watercolour
Co-creating art with the season.
Begin by gathering the necessary supplies and ensure you are using a heavyweight paper for this practice.
Find yourself a medium glass jar. Take it outside and fill it with snow or allow the rain to fill it halfway.
Take it inside and allow the snow to melt, or begin with the rainwater.
Choose colours that reflect this moment and mix them with this rainwater or snowmelt.
Allow the work to be guided by your intuition of what the rain or snow wants to say……
A Final Note
Closing Invocation
“Be melting snow. Wash yourself of yourself.”
Singing the Earth
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Nature. Connected.
