There comes a time in the year when many experience a challenging adjustment to the dramatic shift in the weather template and a change in time known as “daylight savings.” The period I am describing is the winter season. Many people experience difficulty adapting to winter because there is less time in divine connection and communion with the sun. Compared to spring, summer, and fall, the connection to the sun is no longer as present or potent, equating to decreased vitamin D, lower melatonin and serotonin levels, and disruptions in the circadian rhythm. I often speak to clients who express distress because they wake up in darkness and are often met with the same darkness after leaving their jobs to journey home. Overall, this period can be very unsettling and can lead many to develop a mood presentation similar to depression. In the psychological world, this presentation is known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
In addition to the environmental and biopsychological changes, winter also marks a time for people in the West to celebrate holidays. These holidays typically reflect a time of family gathering and tradition. However, for some, it also comes with the undercurrent of family grief and loss, trauma, and betrayal that sometimes exists within the fibers of our family units. For several people, this season can be very difficult and while it may be tough, I want to offer another perspective.
Personally, I like to think about the winter season as a time for hibernation. A time for going within, for withdrawing and immersing oneself in spaces of warmth and comfort as the outdoor elements usher in shedding and release in preparation of the Nu year. However, because we typically don’t see ourselves as people of nature who must also align with the flow of the seasons, this transition period can be wearisome and generally lonely. With that mind, I want to offer a spiritual perspective to help to support people navigate from a place of deep wisdom, transformation, and self-empowerment. In this Tri-Part Model of Depression & Ascension, there is a downward triangle symbolizing the elements that contribute to a state of depression and the upward triangle which reflect the tenets influencing the process of ascension.
Let us first break down the aspects of the downward triangle.
Downward Triangle – “The Development of Depression”
Suppression: Refers to pushing down the breath, emotions, desires, and one’s true self. Suppression can look like shallow breathing or holding the breath to control and put down our shadows (the dark parts we don’t want others to see).
Impression: Inauthentic living based on ideals that were impressed upon us. These ideals can come from family, society, and culture. It essentially creates separation between who you are and who you “should” be in order to belong or fit in.
Repression: Highlights the unconscious patterns and experiences influencing our internal worlds. We are often unaware these emotions, thought processes, and beliefs are present but they still manifest in our reality. Repression can look like subtle generational or family patterns.
Taken together, these three elements contribute to a person becoming de-pressed, or pressed down. It signifies a lowering of a person’s sense of self, connection, and perception. So, how can one, “come up and out,” relieve themselves of this pressure, and return to their whole self? Let us explore the upward triangle for the answer.
Upward Triangle – “The Antidote is Ascension”
Respiration: Refers to activation of breath and allowing the breath to reinvigorate the body. Active breathing creates more openness and highlights stuck points or areas where breath feels tight. Remember, we can always return to breathe to reset and activate. This tenet is a direct antidote to Suppression.
Intuition: Emphasizes using our inner-knowing as a guide and is the direct antidote to Impression. This piece requires increased self-awareness and awareness of internalized ideals from family, society, culture, etc. It is about having discernment and finding your voice. Internal conflicts are likely to arise and may feel more intense because learning the language of our true self is a new skill and experience.
Alchemization: The basis of this concept is connected to a key Law of Nature - “energy cannot be created or destroyed.” This law emphasizes energy can be transformed or transmuted. When strong, foreign, and almost unbearable emotions, moods, or thoughts surface, it is a sign repressed energy is being released. Transmute this energy through acknowledgement (call it out), acceptance (non-judgment of existence), and action (make a choice to act from alignment with your true being). This process of transmutation creates a bridge between our unconscious and conscious worlds and is the antidote to Repression.
By engaging these antidotes, we give ourselves the opportunity to tread a new path of liberation. One that feels fulfilling because we no longer default to resistance of our true nature. Through the process of ascension, we can learn to adapt and adjust to the inevitable changes the cycle of life brings to us in a more harmonious, soul-filled way. So yes, lean into the difficulties that come with the changing of the season so that you may fully embrace your chance to change with intention.
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