Most of the leaves are off the trees now in the area where I live. One of the more noticeable features of early winter, when there’s no weather drama, comes from this change. Winter is perhaps most easily noticed in terms of cold, storms, frost, snow and so forth, but British winters often aren’t that dramatic. Engaging with the season means noticing what else is going on.
With the leaves down, sky appears where, previously in the year I could not see much sky. The view from the window I sit in when working is dominated by trees. In the summer, my view is mostly leaves. However, I can now see a lot more sky. This can be especially good around sunsets, and sometimes I see the moon through the bare branches.
When I’m walking at this time of year, views become available to me that I just can’t see in summer. Seasonal shifts have a significant impact on my relationship with the land. In some ways, winter can be more expansive, with more sky, bigger horizons, more views into the distance. It’s curious because we tend to associate winter with drawing in, looking inwards and being more interior with spiritual practices. However, it is the time when we might most readily see further, and see more. The bones of the land appear without the leaves to cover them.
December 4th, 2018 at 12:17 pm
Reblogged this on Blue Dragon Journal and commented:
Winter in Florida doesn’t have quite the same effect as that in northern latitudes. Those silly palm trees waving in the breeze.
December 7th, 2018 at 5:55 pm
I always enjoy seeing the patterns bare branches make against the sky. There’s something dramatic and awe inspiring about their starkness against the atmospheric greys of the winter clouds and their pale blue absence.