January is in full swing, and the misty in-between-times may seem like a distant memory. There is such pressure to 'get back into the swing of things' and to be 'the best you yet,' in the first few wintery weeks of the year that it's no wonder they call the third Monday in January 'Blue.' The winter season offers a space to rest and reset, yet we rarely allow ourselves a breather before getting back up and setting further punishing regimes, and then we get annoyed with ourselves for not fulfilling them!
 For the most part, nature is hunkering down beneath the Cailleach's icy cloak, and despite milder days, we are still in the depths of winter, and our bodies know it.
I am not at all against setting intentions and having a fresh start in January. Capricorn is a perfect time for clearing out stuck energy and returning to the bare bones of what is important to us. January does feel different from the winter excess and magic of December, but that does not mean January is without its magic, quite the contrary!
There is magick in the land, sleeping, stored way beneath. There is a veil of mists that changes our perception and allows us to rediscover our true north. The land speaks to the January wanderers, it sings ice-boned songs. If we hurry through, tricked out of experience, through shame or panic, we miss the liminal magic and miss a part of ourselves.
What's to celebrate in January?
For UK Pagans, midwinter is celebrated in December at the winter solstice. However, the midwinter festivals of pagan Scandinavia traditionally took place throughout January, with the culmination being the Old Yule festival which was celebrated on the first full moon following the first new moon after the winter solstice (see Nordic Animism for more information). These midwinter festivities were a time for great drinking (no 'Dry January' in pre-Christina Scandinavia!) and for large sacrifices. January 19th marks the beginning of the second half of winter and is still celebrated in Iceland with the festival of Þorrablót, where friends and families celebrate by sharing food and song.
January is also a time to Wassail! This is something I had never done before moving to Somerset, but now it's s a staple part of my January tradition. To Wassail is to visit the apple orchards and to sing to the trees to honour and encourage their growth throughout the year. There is usually cider involved too!
As we move through late January the tide turns to Imbolc, a festival of purification, where the snowdrops burst into the land and the spark of life returns. This is the time when our winter dreaming can slowly unfold, this is where the light within begins to dance.
Perhaps this year our resolutions could be to give ourselves a break, to heed the lore of the land, and follow the rhythm of the seasons within and without. To nourish and nurture our winter needs and allow our unfoldment to be in tune with the perfect harmony of the land.
Winter Readings and Wonders can be found here...
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