The Quiet Turning
On Reflection, Healing and Natural Time
The first glimmers of spring have come riding into the house on rainbow beams of sunshine. Spots of colour flash across my page as a crystal spins slowly in the window. Robins and blue tits flit and chirp outside in the slowly warming air. Winter still rules for the moment. Chilly gusts, frosty nights and the occasional snow flurry, but today, the light is back in the world. The heavy clouds have lifted, and the day feels long. On certain plants, buds are turning green and growing long, though not quite ready to crack open.
Not one to follow trends, I resisted writing and posting this article at the turn of the calendar year. Whilst most people were busy reminding everyone that the Gregorian calendar doesn’t match natural rhythms, I was busy dealing with the cold and the challenge of keeping warm in minus eighteen degrees.
January was all about reflection. Sitting with self, writing into the deep parts of me, letting things go that I no longer needed. The process is rather simple, and perhaps I should have shared it then, but there is no time like the present.
In the rush and panic of the vast modern world, there is pressure to share every step, and that often removes the depth of the journey. We do not have to document every moment of our healing. In fact, sometimes it distracts others from healing themselves and discovering who they really are. I can certainly put my hand up to spending more time watching other people walk their path than attending to my own footsteps.
But here we are. Winter is about to turn. The Eastern Spring Festival and Chinese New Year are just around the corner, then March begins and the land will begin its slow rise from the frigid clutches of hibernation. The spring solstice is just over a month away, and with it comes a true beginning and a more natural time to start new projects and step out into the world.
What then is the best way to reflect upon our lives and decide what we no longer need? After years of a thus far, amazing journey with my wife, I realise there is not one answer to this, but many. For me, it is soul writing, deep reflection and a learned process called Emotional Alchemy. For her, it is walking and movement. For another, it may be silence and meditation.
What is true in all of these modalities is an element of acceptance and listening. We witness ourselves in some kind of moment, breathe into an emotion, whether on the page or in the body, or when it arises in the mind. Then we allow it to move, as it should have done when we first experienced it. Awareness, breath, movement and acceptance. In that moment of acceptance, we make peace with ourselves, and the emotion moves. It becomes a lived experience that has something to teach us.
I gave up trying to fix myself a long time ago. I gave up thinking I was broken and needing to clean, clear and process. What I found was that I just needed to listen. And in that listening, I realised that I was whole. And beautiful. And complex. And amazing.
So, here is to you and your journey of seeing who you really are. May you find the best way to witness and listen to yourself, and embrace and make peace with all that you were… and all that you will become.
About the Author
I explore healing and creativity through Soul Writing, Emotional Alchemy, and reflection rooted in lived experience. I share this work through Soul Craft Studio and offer 1–2–1 Emotional Alchemy sessions for those seeking deeper, personal exploration.
Thank you Matt for your beautifully expressed thoughts and wisdom. You wrote about experiences and ideas I have had an awareness of but could never articulate so clearly. Thank you too for the link to your 'Silence and Meditation' and the wonderful accompanying images. I wish you all the best.