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STAYING LIGHT DURING THE DARK DAYS

I woke up this morning, slid on my long sweater and new slippers, crept down the stairs in the dar….. and lit several candles in the kitchen to make coffee….

Happy Mabon!
This year, Mabon landed on Wednesday, September 22, along with the Autumn Equinox.  It’s the time of year in the Fall when we have equal hours of daylight and darkness, representing balance.  It’s also a time to give thanks for what the earth has provided; the fruits of our gardens and the labours in life.  It also is a time to give thanks to our waning sunlight.  This year is especially powerful as Thursday, September 23 is the full moon.  It’s a time of letting go of what no longer serves us.

I use the teachings of Mabon to remind me of how to deal with these upcoming, dark days.  Our bodies naturally shift to adapt and therefore, I find that going with the flow of our earth’s changes is the first and most important approach in dealing with the winter blues.  This can be challenging as today’s society teaches us to ignore how our body is made up to naturally go with the flow of it’s environment; we rely on artificial light to keep ourselves going.  As “humans being”, it is natural for us to feel the urge to retreat into ourselves, as many animals hibernate during the winter.  It is a good time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished in the brighter, warmer, active days.  It is also a good time to re-generate.  We can choose to accept or resist what can come naturally during these months.

While only 2-3% experience symptoms debilitating enough to be considered Seasonal Affective Disorder, or its appropriate acronym S.A.D., a reported 51% of the general public experience the winter blues or blaas.  If you are a Lightworker, you are sensitive.  And if you are sensitive, you probably have these issues you deal with during the dark days.

These symptoms are not just all in our heads.  There are concrete, physiological reasons we feel symptoms of lethargy and negative moods in the winter.  It is common knowledge that a house plant needs a certain amount of sunlight each day to grow strong and healthy and maintain its usual behaviour.  We as human beings are no different. 
As soon as the sun goes down, a hormone is released from the brain called Melatonin, which regulates the body’s 24-hour clock, determining when we fall asleep and when we wake up.  As soon as the sun comes up, a hormone is released called Serotonin, which can change a person’s mood.  So, during times of more darkness then light, there is more Melatonin and less Serotonin triggered.  The body and mind will want to go to sleep resulting in feeling lethargic, as well as shift towards a more negative and depressed mood.

Another reason for the lack of energy and negative moods is living with less frequent doses of Endorphins due to being less active during the winter months.  Endorphins can be considered “nature’s anti-depressant”.  They are neurotransmitters in the brain that can reduce emotional and physical pain, while raising one’s mood.  There are different ways we can kick in a dose of endorphins, some being healthy and some being not so healthy.  Twenty minutes of dancing or walking should do the trick.  A good laughing fit will work.  And yes, sex is high on the list – even a quickie will do it!  Chocolate will also work, and unfortunately so does any form of carbohydrate.  We’ve heard of the term “emotional eating”.  This is the action behind the term.  We eat anything sweet or starchy and we get a dose of “nature’s anti-depressant”.  So it makes sense that we gain weight in the cold, dark months.  We are trying to eat our way to a happier state of mind by kicking in our endorphins.

More suggestions:
Lightworkers require more water than most as water is transformed into energy and lightworkers live with a higher level of life force energy, so drink up and as much as you can!

While going with the natural urge to hibernate, make sure you balance out with staying social; face to face is the best, phone calls are second best; internet can really help.  Since I spend half of my working hours in my home office alone, I find it crucial for my well being to daily connect with others via e-mail and on sites such as Facebook. 

Another way to increase energy and mood at anytime of the year, not just during winter, is to make sure you meet as many of your needs as you can.  Many don’t know what their needs are other than the needs for survival such as food, water, shelter and physical (sexual) needs. So, the first step is to work on identifying those needs.

There are several ways to identify some of your needs.  You can sort your life into categories then come up with at least one activity you would like to do in each category.  For instance, categories you could use could be: creative expression, physical release, emotional release, down time, social time, mental stimulation, trying something new and tying up loose ends.  Examples for these categories could be: working on a scrapbook, going for a morning walk, watching your favourite sitcom (laughter is great for kicking in endorphins and it burns up to 40 calories), keeping a daily journal, 30 minutes lying down with the headphones on listening to your favourite music, getting together with a friend for tea after supper, reading a chapter or two of a book with your morning coffee, meditating 20 minutes a day (getting in touch with your inner light to compensate for the lack of outer light by working with your solar plexus chakra), getting a different hair style and cleaning out the closet you’ve been meaning to clean out for the last 2 months.  If you can select activities that you can do outside in the sunlight, bonus!  Just sitting at the window with the sun shining on your face can really help.  I look forward to the cooler days as it is the time I knit slippers and Mr. Bean-style teddy bears, which is therapeutic for me.  You can even multi-task by identifying activities that can fall under more than one life category, meeting different types of needs. 

If you are able to keep track and adjust your weekly activity in this way, you will be shifting your life towards a sense of balance, creating a sense of inner contentment, and therefore a higher level of energy and positive attitude.  Try making a list of all your summer activities and a list of your winter activities. Do your winter activities fulfill the needs that your summer activities do?  Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% what we do with it so by simply accepting the situation we are in, that we have much less opportunity to increase what gives us energy and lightens our moods, we can incorporate little cubby holes of activity into our daily lives that will help us live better and happier lives through the winter.  We need to get creative.  And most of all, we need to remember….. we are worth it!!

Love and Light, my friends. 

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Jewelee is the owner of the Ask Jewelee Store at 4911 Victoria Ave, Niagara Falls, ON. You can submit your questions for Jewelee through our website and she can answer 2 questions per month.

Your question can be something personal for yourself or others or you might have questions about being a Psychic.

You can submit your questions to Jewelee through the Spiritual Niagara website.

Click here and follow the instructions.

If you would like to meet with Jewelee for a private reading contact her directly through her website or by phone