“The world rests in the night. Trees, mountains, fields, and faces are released from the prison of shape and the burden of exposure. Each thing creeps back into its own nature within the shelter of the dark. Darkness is the ancient womb.” ~John O’Donohue

Tuesday, February 1st,^, is Chinese New Year. I like Chinese New Year partly because it’s based on lunar cycles. The date changes year to year as it falls on the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice. This year it will be exactly six weeks from the longest night of the year. Having six weeks of Winter behind us is significant. Spring is coming!

There is something else that occurred to me this year. Time is passing and Winter is an opportunity to rest. Can this square on the calendar be a reminder to embrace what’s left of Winter? A chance to creep back into our own nature within the shelter of the dark? Do the puzzle. Read the book. Write the song. Explore the idea. What if, instead of relief that Winter is almost over, we decided to savor every beautiful moment of the cozy, reflective solitude of Winter? Would that shift in perspective lend comfort to these days that can seem so dark and cold?

I was hiking in the Upper Dells of Matthiessen thinking these thoughts. In parallel, I was thinking about how weird it was to be walking on what is usually a creek. Every day on a trail is different, but the changes from season to season are drastic. It is almost like another world.

I came upon these Beings. I want to call them friends, but they weren’t very approachable. They seem more like Beings. Or Spirits. Frozen Water Spirits. There were 9 of them. Nine is a magical number in many traditions. In Daoism, 9 is auspicious. It stands out as the highest single-digit number and being an odd number makes it Yang. This combination makes it powerful. It represents completion and longevity.

There is a little more about the 9 Frozen Water Spirits. They are ice. Yin & Yang are in a constant state of motion to achieve balance. Each becomes the other at its extreme. Fire becomes steam which turns into condensation and falls to the ground. Water becomes ice, so cold that it can burn. If you don’t understand, don’t worry. The point is that these 9 Water Spirits are literally frozen in a state of transformation. Thus 9 Magical Frozen Water Spirits. Nice to meet you, 9 Magical Frozen Water Spirits.

Cold nudged me across the ice and along the trail to steps that led out of the canyon. The crunch crunch crunch of the dense snow built up around my ice cleats echoed through the silence and bounced off the dells as I made my way up the stairs. My hands were jammed under my sweater in an attempt to warm my aching nailbeds, cold from pointing, zooming and clicking pictures, gloveless, on my very cold phone.

I peeled off the outer layers and removed my boots before lurching stiffly into the car. Blasting heat relaxed my muscles as the sky darkened. My mind recounted the day and played tentatively with ways to share the surfacing thoughts, relieved that there is no rush. It’s still Winter, after all. There is lots of time to sip tea and arrange and rearrange words on a page.