January
January is a month to grow on the inside. In the silence. In the pause. In the peace.
This is not a time to rush out with new, bold ideas, but a quiet container in which to cultivate dreams and seeds within.
January seems like a cold and barren time.
The ground is frozen. The birds are quiet. The plants are sleeping. It feels as though time is standing still.
And yet, this is the month in the Nordic sun-wheel when we have passed the turning point of the Winter Solstice and we know the light is returning. We may not see the change clearly yet, but deep inside we can feel the seeds of hope and anticipation as we think about the coming year.
Rest with Nature
When a calendar year begins, we can feel tempted to rush in and start afresh right away. A new year brings reflections and resolutions—as well as the urge for sudden change. But January holds a different energy from the leaping-forward, active energy of spring and summer.
January has a bad rep and can seem like a grey time, both in light and in feeling. The festivities are over, and the cold, barren ground is all we can see. Yet if we learn to harness January’s special energy for what it offers—rather than doing something counteractive to its unique rhythm—we can receive this month’s gifts in a different way.
By choosing to live our lives with a seasonal rhythm, and not only by the clock, we can begin to be with what is present and allow it to support us. We may discover the relief of life becoming easier and more joyful when we start working with the energy of Nature instead of fighting against it. In this way, we become more in tune—more connected to what is here for us each day—and begin to appreciate it for what it brings.
January is the perfect time to begin this mindful practice of tuning in and listening. The peace and silence of this month serve as a gentle backdrop for attuning our senses to the present moment.
A simple way to start is by going outside for a walk and beginning to pay attention. What do you notice? How is the world around you living at this time? What is moving in Nature? How do trees, rivers, or birds respond to the turning of the year? Do they change from one day to the next, or do they remain in winter, taking their time as the days slowly lengthen?
KEEP your dreams at heart.
KEEP your secrets close.
CLEAR OUT your work drawer of past stories, and FILL it with new beauty—a promise still hidden from the rest of the world.
MAKE ROOM in your heart for the magic of a new beginning.
Looking Back to Look Forward
Named after the Roman god Janus, with his two faces, January is a month for reflection—a threshold time, like an open window, where we can look both to the past and to the future.
Reflection is an important practice, even though in modern, Western, fast-paced society we place little value on it. We are encouraged to move forward constantly, often without pausing to look back.
Yet reflection gives us the opportunity to learn from our experiences and to course-correct our path ahead. Our experiences hold greater wisdom when we set time aside to reflect on what we have learned—both the good and the difficult—so that we can apply this learning to future choices.
As human beings, we grow through trial and error, and reflection is an essential part of this cycle. It offers valuable insight into our values and into how we truly want to live our lives: a tragic event might have carried a quiet, unexpected wisdom that could not have arrived in any other way; or a long-desired job promotion may have left us feeling empty and stressed, even though it seemed to be everything we wanted.
Things might not always unfold as we hope, yet they bring lessons we could never have planned for—gifts of understanding that appear only when we pause, look back, and listen.
Reflection corner at the Audo Copenhagen, featured in the SEMINE Copenhagen Oases Travel Guide
The Magic of New Beginnings
Like a blank book full of white pages, there is something about a new year that naturally makes us more optimistic. We begin to notice and feel into our dreams. To dare again. To begin again.
There is something inside us that starts to grow, because, just like the snowdrops that appear in the frozen ground or under the winter snow, this is in our nature.
January is a time to cultivate our seeds on the inside, to keep our dreams at heart and our longings close. A time to clear out the drawers of past stories and fill them with new beauty and intentions—still a secret from the rest of the world.
It can be a month with its own purpose and seasonal power. It can help us restore energy, become mindful, and focus on what we have in each moment.
We are given a pause for reflection: to consider what we wish to carry forward from the year that was, and to sense the intentions we wish to nurture for the year to come.
If we allow it, we can meet the whole month as a threshold, a transition.
Breathing through these weeks gives us time to come fully into being, instead of rushing into action.
Rest in the peace of January, with its silent promises of new beginnings.
January Blessings,
Sidsel Solmer Eriksen, Founding Editor
January Practices
Set Time Aside to Journal
The energy of early January supports a deeply inward time. The silence of midwinter and the turning of the calendar year offer a rare opportunity to reflect on who you are and what you truly desire as you move forward.
Setting aside time to listen for the answers that arise from your own heart can lead to a deeper acceptance of yourself and your unique qualities, talents, and passions. These are the elements that need to be integrated into the foundation upon which you base your life decisions—the foundation that supports your intentions.
Go for a Sandwalk
Welcome January as a threshold transition, and walk with it. Follow in the footsteps of Charles Darwin and his daily sandwalks—an exercise in reflection and a form of moving meditation that nourished his scientific work and gratified his constant curiosity.
Read more here
Mend & Prepare
In the old days, January was often a time for mending. A tending time. A time to clean and mend tools, to sharpen the saw. A time to sit quietly and take stock of the resources needed for the coming year.
It was a season for going through drawers and asking yourself: do I feel called to mend something, to add something now, or do I discover that I already have everything I need? When we move slowly in January, we can put things in order and feel more prepared when spring arrives.