Seeking Sun in February

Seeking out a Beautiful Gift

Hello beautiful souls. This section of my newsletter is about returning to nature’s wisdom as a foundation, a rock, a support for our busy and modern lives. Today I am in search of how we can find the ‘Sun’ on cold, February days.

As I write from my little desk looking out into the garden the rain is tumbling down, tiny droplets that get you wet within seconds. The ground is slippery, muddy and wet. A robin pecks about, happily finding the sunflower seeds I put out for him each morning. The sky is a bright mixture of white, and grey. Being sensitive to light I squint despite it being classed as a’ rainy and darkish day.’

Even I have found these cold days of February weary.

I spend a large percentage of daylight hours out of doors walking my Spaniel and daily visits to my hens and allotment. I realised a long time ago I was not an inside person, and, even in the Winter, I must get outside every day. When I taught in schools full time, I often felt claustrophobic and trapped. I longed for the breeze in my hair and the sun on my face. I love the invigorating feel of a walk in the rain and warming up inside next to a roaring fire.

But February has been a cold month and now I long, like the birds, flowers and trees for the gentle warmth of the sun.

I like nothing better than getting up early and heading out with a hot flask of tea to search for the sunrise. I descibed how I searched for the rising of the Sun in this post:

After all the Sun is a beautiful gift, one that is easy to take for granted.

This year I am on a mission to embrace nature wellness naturally and holistically. I recognise, like so many, how I yearn for spring sunshine and how beneficial the warm, yellow rays are for our health. The sun’s warmth is one of the simplest things and yet is holds such majestic power to change the way we feel both physically and mentally.

Being in the sun makes us feel better.

Seeing and feeling the sun lifts our spirits and makes us emerge, like small mammals from our dens into the warming earth. We try to find sunlit corners in sheltered gardens or parks so we can feel warmer. We are no different to the beautiful, Common Lizard or the shy Adder who both like to bathe and soak up the sun. We gravitate towards the best spots for comfort and a feeling of great ease.

So, what do we do, during a cold, February when the sun is nowhere to be found? When the bleak, gloomy days provide little warmth? How can we lift our spirits and feel the effects of what our bodies and minds crave?

I have thought about this question over the last month and took soothing action to create a connection to the Sun and a hope of what is to come.

Below is a gentle list that you too may wish to consider if you are craving Spring warmth and soft rays lighting up your face.

Focus on how being outside with nature makes you feel.

Even on colder, rainy days.

There are some wintry days where I simply need to watch the birds and clouds through my window with a cosy throw and a hot drink. Other times I feel invigorated with the wind, the rain, the sharpness of frost.

Tuning in to how we feel out in nature means we can accept whatever comes up with no judgement. We can accept today is not the time for the sun to shine and that is OK. We can remember the winter trees, the soft rain and gentle clouds never judge. We can be aware of the feelings that come up; the whispers, the aches or the heart leaps and know all are valid. Tune into the fact that even if we can’t see or feel the sun, it is still there. Like a faithful friend who has exited a room for a short time, we know their warmth will return.

As we soak up the outside energy, we can come out of thinking and into feeling, and be aware of the energy of the sun. During February, the birds are singing loudly each passing day and the daffodil bulbs are reaching higher every moment, even on grey, rainy days. The sun’s energy is always there, even if the bright, yellowness is not visible.

Take Gentle, Mindful Movement . This February in the UK there have been two sunny, winter days. There were brilliant blue skies and the sun shone beautifully for all to see and feel.

On both of these days at my allotment, a community of people, children and dogs emerged to tend to their patches of earth. To dig, prepare early seeds and to stand around chatting with flasks of hot tea.

I visit the allotment every day due to my lovely nine, rescue hens and over December and January I did not see a single soul. Yet on both these sunny, bright days the allotment became a hive of activity with people humming, raking and digging. It made me realise the magic of the sun and how it makes us feel energised and ready for movement. The sun is pure energy, it has so much to share, it gives us the life-force we need to move and grow.

Our bodies move more easily in the sun, in the cold they stiffen and creak. On bleak February days it can be hard to take movement and as a seasonal, yoga teacher I learnt during these colder months we are not meant to push ourselves deeply through hard, physical exercise. Instead our bodies, need gentle, kind movement that nourishes our souls. For me that will always be walking in nature or a slow, restorative, yoga practice. In the absense of the sun’s warmth we can still create heat and wrap up in layers to keep us insulated and cosy.

Bringing the sun indoors.

The mornings and evenings are still dark, and it is a perfect time to light candles to represent the fire of the sun. I have a large yellow, soy wax candle, a present from my sister which has been perfect to light through February. I also have an orange salt lamp on my desk which gives a soft, peaceful glow. Both bring comfort and soft light as darkness falls.

Maybe you have your own ways of bringing the sun indoors during these, final colder, wintry days of the season?

Thank you for taking this gentle rest with me. If you would like to join me for longer do subscribe to get my Nature’s Seasonal Encounters writings into your inbox.

I write when inspiration comes containing my nature writing, nature- wellness and seasonal wisdom.

Extra posts flow as the seasons change and include following the wheel of the year and sharing my own journey of following nature’s call.

Sending seasonal warmth and well-being to you

Clare