“The days were growing shorter, the light was quickly failing, and towards the end of each afternoon the heart became uneasy. A primitive terror seized us - that of our ancestors who during the winter months watched the sun go out a little earlier each day. ‘Tomorrow it will go out forever,’ they must have thought in despair, and spent the entire night on the heights of fear and trembling.’ Nikos Kazantzakis: Zorba the Greek
By way of explanation…
This is my first blog since August 2023 and I’ve waited in anticipation for this moment to arrive. The extended gap hasn’t been caused by a loss of motivation or interest in photography, a lessening of my shamanic beliefs/practice, or any diminution in the desire to be creative. However, since last summer there have been three distinct periods which have caused this extended sabbatical: August to October was intensively focused on the conclusion of a major project with my other main interest of bell ringing. Since early 2022 I’ve been leading a group to establish a new Training Centre in one of the 18 church towers in the area to support recruitment and more advanced ringing in the area. This culminated in October with the official opening and PR campaign. During November I was recovering from this intense activity. The third period of December to January has naturally become the subject for this blog, and the sixth in this shamanic series: my annual hibernation…
All the images for this blog have been taken during early-mid Feburary prior to posting - my first proper venture out in the field with camera and tripod since August! It was good to “get back in the saddle” into Glastonbury Abbey, onto Wearyall Hill, and the edges of the Somerset Levels to find subjects that I hope express various aspects of the text…
Hibernation
For many years during my 50-year career, I was aware that from November to January annually I had less energy, found starting new projects more stressful and felt less like mixing with people. This was exacerbated by apparently suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder which recent research suggests affects as many as 2 million people in the UK. Current thinking suggests this is on a spectrum rather than something you either have or not. This could be quite debilitating at times, but I battled on, not realising the possible cause, even succumbing to bouts of depression on occasion. This wasn’t ideal as this career included senior roles in managing hospitals, my own consultancy, and working at Henley Business School where performance management, continuous improvement and leading edge thinking were the order of the day. Then fifteen years ago, during a David Attenborough documentary about the hibernation of brown bears, I had a lightbulb moment: I first made the link between the biological need for hibernation in mammals and the latent need I felt for withdrawal at this time of year.
Circadian rhthyms
Research has suggested our circadian rhythms, which evolution has developed to help regulate our body systems at different times of the year, are linked to the position of the sun among other things. During winter, when the days are significantly shorter than summer and the sun’s rays weaker, the body feels like it should sleep for more hours each day. A recent study of three pre-industrial societies in equatorial regions where people have no access to clocks, alarms, smart phones etc. showed that they tended to sleep up to an hour longer during their winter months. Current thinking suggests that this is even more pronounced in more northerly societies where it’s colder and darker for much longer. Our modern day living takes no account of this which is why so many people feel more sluggish at this time of year. Added to this, and compounded by huge expections of the festive season, just at the time our bodies are expecting to slow down, we spend a month or more frenetically preparing, celebrating and socialising during Christmas and New Year: no wonder many of us feel emotionally and energetically conflicted and/or drained at this time!
Deciduous dormancy
Deciduous trees also go through a dormancy period during winter, and while this is not the same as the mammal’s hibernation process, trees “sense” the onset of winter and undergo a complex set of chemical changes. They shed their leaves to preserve water through the colder, drier season; move any water from their cells to the tiny spaces between them to prevent freezing; and when temperatures drop further the water outside the cells freezes, creating a surge of heat which then protects the cells. At the same time, sugars, proteins, fats etc. nourish the cells to sustain them until Spring arrives and the tree moves into its growing phase again.
The realisation
So, making the link between what I was experiencing and having a deeper understanding of these natural phenomena subsequently enabled me to approach this time of year more positively. Where possible, I delayed starting new projects until later in Janaury/Feburary; I “allowed” myself not to socialise so much and not feel guilty about it; and generally paced each working day where possible to suit my inner feelings, replacing the feelings of “should” and “ought” with “can”, “it’s OK”, and “there’s always tomorrw!”. This changed mindset over the next couple of years offered an improved approach to the “dreaded months” and I noticed how I also identified more with what was happening in nature, further enhancing my feelings of wellbeing. Retirement, of course, has allowed this to move to the next level. I now label November, December, and January “Hibernation” in Outlook and consciously plan the year around this, allowing myself to prioritise those things I like to do during these months and defer necessary or more complex projects to another time if possible. This doesn’t mean I abrogate responsibility of necessary commitments, but simply allow myself to carry things over to the next day/week if they remain undone, without damaging my self esteem. This blog is a case in point: while I knew I wanted to produce it much sooner I accepted I didn’t have the creative energy - and trusted that my creative sap would eventually start to rise again: and it has!
“All consciousness contracts then expands, contracts then expands. That is how consciousness evolves.” S. Kelly Harrell
Shamanic and Celtic links
To my knowledge, hiberation isn’t a specific term used in shamanic circles: I couldn’t find one reference to it in the indexes of my library. However, working with the energies is a central theme of shamanic practice as is being aware of, and working with, nature’s natural rhythms (see my May 2023 Recognision the Rhythms blog). Having now worked with this over the past ten years, through various practices and meditations I’m able to enhance what I’d previously come to understand: a heightened awareness of nature’s cycles, the hibernation patterns of mammals, birds’ migration and behavioural cycles, flower and tree dormancy etc. provide a reassuring annual cycle of growth, life and death that I can closely relate to and support my own experience day to day.
This period of the year is also marked by the Celtic periods of Samhain commencing on 31 October, which prepares for the dormant period of Yule, celebrated on 21 December, which itself recognises the darkest days of winter at this most dormant period of the year. Imbolc then arrives on 1st February signifying new life on the first day of the Celtic Spring. This year for the first time I consciously acknowledged each of these: lighting a candle, going for meditiation walks and being more aware of the significance of each celebration day in relation to the changing seasons and their symbolism around me. This gave me an even more profound undertstanding of the seasons and annual cycles of life and how my distant Celtic roots can be integrated into my day-to-day life.
Summary
So, I now have a tried and tested way to integrate ancient knowledge, up-to-date research and personal practice to enhance my day-to-living. I can look forward to the dark winter days as a time to step back, take stock, reflect on the past year and allow myself to free wheel when for the rest of the year I’m very active. It’s also been a delight getting behind the camera again at long last to specifically aim to reflect some of this thinking and experience in these images. Particularly as it’s been such a long time, if you’ve read this far, I’d be delighted to hear from you with a comment, however short :-).
“Learning shamanism isn’t just about acquiring techniques in how to do it, but also how to incorporate and deal with the changes it brings to everyday life’. S. Kelly Harrell