Hibernation ≠ Inaction
As I tune into this time of year and the winter ahead, a mix of feelings come up for me. For one, we live in a time of great uncertainty and unrest. Our country’s story is at a tensely dynamic place and to participate in it is, well, intense. We’re in the midst of great change - politically, environmentally, socially, culturally, globally - and the task of learning to sit in the fire of not knowing is greater than ever.
There’s an urgency to act, to learn, to respond. While of good faith, it brings to mind the wisdom of Bayo Akomolafe that “these times are urgent, let us slow down.”
For contrary to popular belief, to slow down is not a form of inaction; to hibernate is not to fall asleep. Instead, when done with intention, it is a turning inward that is part of a larger creative cycle found in nature. By slowing down and consciously hibernating we turn inward and allow that which is no longer serving us to gently shed; we allow all that we’ve been learning to digest and integrate; and we allow the formless pieces of wisdom that have been floating within us to find coherence.
This is what we’ll be doing over the next four months in Hibernation for Healing. A community of beautiful hearts and creative minds are gathering to hold space for ourselves, each other and this time of great change in Circle. We will be exploring questions that none of us have answers to. For in this changing world the answers are constantly emerging through all of our lives.
Let’s come together and share in this co-creation process; taking a tip from the poet Rilke that if we are “patient toward all that is unsolved in our hearts and try to love the questions themselves, perhaps we can gradually, without noticing, live along into the answers.”
Hibernation for Healing: A journey of storytelling and embodiment practices to process change is from Nov 15 - Feb 20. Our first Circle is Feb 18th. Sign up now to be part of this rich, conscious community space with us.
Hi, I’m Liz Moyer Benferhat. Writer, facilitator, coach, and development practitioner dedicated to the subtle interplay between how inner transformation feeds the outer transformation we need in the world. Welcome 🌿