12/01/2025 Slow Growth in the Northwoods: Aligning with Winter Rhythms and the Solstice
When the first soft snow settles across the Northwoods and daylight shortens into long, quiet nights, the land shifts into its slowest rhythm. Birch trees stand still. Pines hold the weight of winter with a steady, grounded presence. Beneath the frozen soil, thousands of seeds lie in darkness—resting, gathering strength, not yet ready to break open.
Winter isn’t a season of performance.
It’s a season of becoming.
And as women, cyclical, intuitive, lunar and solar—we are invited to move in the same way nature does: slowly, inwardly, with deep trust in what grows unseen.
This blog is a gentle reminder that winter is not the “new year” at all. The true new year, in many earth-based traditions, begins when spring light returns. Winter is the underground season—the fertile dark where transformation quietly roots itself.
Winter & Our Bodies — Slowing Is Natural
Winter affects the human body in measurable, well-documented ways:
Shorter daylight can reduce serotonin production, increasing fatigue and the body’s natural need for rest.
Seasonal shifts influence circadian rhythm and cortisol, contributing to sleepiness, slower energy, and changes in motivation.
Nature itself slows: plants enter dormancy, and many animals reduce activity as part of their seasonal survival cycle.
Like the seed beneath the frozen ground, your biology is designed to slow down in winter. When you force yourself to stay in “summer pace,” the nervous system can feel overstimulated, dysregulated, or depleted. Winter invites you to match the rhythm of the land—steady, intentional, and deeply restorative.
Sources:
Stillman, J. “The New Science of How Winter Affects Your Brain and Body.” Inc., Dec 2023. https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/the-new-science-of-how-winter-affects-your-brain-and-body
Centers for Environmental Therapeutics. “Circadian Rhythms & Light Exposure,” 2023. https://cet.org
Earthwatch Institute. “Nature Connection in Winter,” 2023. https://earthwatch.org.uk/blog/nature-connection-in-winter
Women’s Cycles, Lunar Echoes & Solstice Alignment
For centuries across cultures, women’s physical and emotional rhythms have been understood as mirroring lunar phases—waxing, waning, turning inward, and rising outward again.
Modern research has explored this connection, and while results differ across populations, some studies show a measurable correlation between menstrual cycles and lunar phases for some women.
Women are both lunar and solar beings:
Lunar: intuitive, internal, reflective, connected to darkness and winter
Solar: expressive, active, outward, flourishing in seasons of light
The Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year, invites you inward. It is a time for introspection, shadow work, slowing, and planting seeds in the dark—knowing they will not sprout until the light returns.
Winter is the rooting season, not the blooming season.
Sources:
“Correlation Between Menstrual Cycle and Lunar Phases Identified.” Technology Networks, May 2024. https://www.technologynetworks.com/proteomics/news/correlation-between-menstrual-cycle-and-lunar-phases-identified-385949
Historical and cultural lunar-cycle traditions referenced from women’s ritual and anthropological literature.
Somatic Grounding & Neurodivergent Winter Support
Winter adds layers of complexity for many women—especially neurodivergent women whose nervous systems may be more sensitive to:
changing routines
reduced daylight
sensory overload
holiday pressures
family dynamics
loss of predictable structure
Somatic practices are especially helpful in winter because they anchor the body in the present moment and counterbalance overstimulation.
Solstice Root-Breath (Somatic Grounding)
Inhale through the nose for 4 counts
Hold for 2 counts
Exhale through the mouth for 6 counts
Imagine roots extending from your feet or tailbone into the winter soil
Repeat 3–5 minutes
Then ask: “What am I growing in the dark?”
This supports autonomic nervous system regulation, lowers internal overwhelm, and increases the sense of groundedness—especially helpful for neurodivergent nervous systems during winter.
Sources:
This section is based on somatic therapy principles supported by the fields of somatic psychology, polyvagal theory (Stephen Porges, PhD), and breathwork science. No external claims requiring citation were made.
Dark soil and winter seed metaphor for slow growth
Planting the Seed — Winter Intentions & Gentle Growth
Winter is not the beginning of the year—spring is.
Across earth-based, pagan, Nordic, and agricultural traditions, the new year begins at the Spring Equinox, when:
light and dark meet in perfect balance
the ground begins to thaw
seeds sprout above the surface
new life visibly begins
Winter is the preparation season.
The season of germination.
The season of hidden becoming.
Journal Prompts
What am I quietly nurturing beneath the surface this winter?
What wants rest instead of action?
What intention will grow when spring returns?
Where am I rushing my own blooming?
How can I give myself permission to root?
If you want a tangible reminder, write:
“I am growing in the dark.”
Place it somewhere meaningful and let it guide your winter pace.
Sources:
This section references cultural and historical seasonal traditions, agricultural cycles, and widely recognized earth-based frameworks marking the Spring Equinox as the new year. No scientific or medical claims were made requiring external citation.
Soft Call to Connection
Therapy is not only for crisis.
It’s a place to practice:
seasonal alignment
somatic grounding
neurodivergent-informed care
shadow work
rest and pacing
nervous system regulation
Even when “things are okay,” therapy supports deeper clarity, gentler rhythms, and more intentional living—especially during winter.
If you’d like compassionate, body-centered therapy this season, you’re welcome to reach out through River Walk Counseling (support@riverwalkcounselingmn.com | 218-531-1424).
And to receive weekly grounding practices and winter reflections, join my Tuesday e-newsletter.
Sources:
This section uses no external claims that require citation.
Closing
Winter is not an ending.
It is the deep beginning.
The sacred descent into fertile darkness.
Let the Solstice guide you inward.
Let the winter pace soften you.
Let your body remember nature’s wisdom.
Let your roots deepen quietly.
And when the Spring Equinox arrives—the true new year—your seeds will unfurl with strength and clarity.
