This week I want to talk with you about soft, luminous, mysterious fog. And how I am imagining February as the soft, liminal, otherworldly pause between winter and spring.

Fog conceals and softens. It rolls in, sometimes thick and heavy. Sometimes, light and misty. But it always brings a sense of mysticism and otherworldliness. It changes what we see and how we perceive things. It creates an air of uncertainty and unknowing. But, it heightens mystery and intuition. It’s luminous, never completely concealing. And, even if it is around for an entire day, when it breaks, the sun shines again.

Join me as we explore our mysterious and intuitive sides this week - and how foggy days just might be what we need to inspire us as we move from winter to spring.

xoxo. liz.

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I'm calling in a dreamy state of being this February and setting an intention to notice the shifts and stirrings that are giving me hope for what's to come. 🌱

The earth is awakening from winter’s deep sleep, but it is not yet spring. Still, underground, there are stirrings. And light is slowly returning. Feel the gentle, sleepy predawn energy and the very first soft hint of the hope of spring.

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I can feel January coming to a close. And I think I am almost ready to fully leave behind the cocoon that is this month. I am ready to begin to finally put away the last of the holiday moments and prepare myself to bravely commit to the unfolding of this year. I am still deeply rooted in my winter’s nest for now, but I know that soon, very soon, I will be ready to begin to stir, and awaken, and fully step into this new year.

Join me as I reflect on how i'm dealing with all kinds of change, my winter's nest, a new moon cycle, and preparing for the stirrings of imbolc.

Happy last week of January, my friend. xo

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Hello, you. Welcome to the Wild Soul Collective!

This week's message is all about finding inspiration in the magic of everyday life in the middle of winter.

Even though it may not feel like it, spring is just around the corner. The seasons are, even now, slowly giving way and making space for one another. And what that teaches me, right now, is to double down on what is happening right here, right now. To embrace and be and feel this present moment. To let this week be whatever it will be (chaos and stress and joy and all), and to truly be mindful and aware and awake in order to not miss one magical moment of the beauty of everyday life as January begins to wane.

Wishing you a deeply rooted and anchored week this week, my friend. May you simply be present in this season of your life. And may you create space for soft, gentle rest that inspires and grounds you each day.

Until next week, blessings of winter magic to you and your loved ones.

xoxo. liz.

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Hello, you.

It’s practically mid-January already. How is that even possible? Do you also feel like time is moving quickly? And are you secretly, like me, just fine with that right now? Or are you in a space where you feel warm and snuggly, quietly hibernating and patiently waiting as you soak in each day?

This past week felt like going from zero to one hundred overnight and it felt like I fell our of sync with the rhythm of January.

Right now, mid-January, we are in the middle of the lowest energy period of the year. We’ve passed midwinter and this is the part of winter that gets tough. So, maybe it's not strange to feel a little off balance. This is when the wolves begin to feel their pangs of hunger. Perhaps that’s what I’m feeling. Perhaps I am connecting with my inner wild wolf. I’m longing for my hunger to be filled. Hungry, seeking, hunting, searching. Restless, pacing under the full wolf moon that rises tomorrow. But, also determined to survive, taking care of myself and my pack.

The full moon invites me, invites us, to stand tall and howl. To howl out because we’re hungry and tired, but also to howl out to claim our power - that we are strong and determined. This is still winter, and this crossover period from the cozy warmth of December into the bright glimmers of hope in February, is brutal. It’s a mix of everything all at once. But, you know what? We can do this. I can do this.

Let out one long, good, deep howl, my friend. Let winter know that you’re still here too.

xoxo. liz.

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Welcome to Season 2 of the wild soul collective podcast! I am so excited to move through twenty twenty-five with you, week by week, as the rhythms of life guide and inspire us.

January serves as the passageway, the portal, and the transition from one year to the next. And, that lines up perfectly with the rhythms of this season. Because winter should be able to be winter.

There is no rush to be, create, plan, or do anything. Feel your way into this new year, into this month, into this week. Though we never know how much time we have, we know that we have right here, right now. And, as I move through this week and set my intention to be rooted and grounded in these deepest, coldest weeks of winter, my only resolution is be present in each moment, to rest deep in the earth's stillness and to indulge in winter's magic.

So, let’s slowly greet this new year together by simply focusing on one week at a time. Marking the passage of time all year long.

Wishing you a soft, gentle week of letting moving slowly through the portals and passageways of winter.

xoxo. liz.

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I love the song Auld Lang Syne. It captures the mood that I always feel during those days that stretch from Christmas into the beginning of the new year. Nostalgic. Romantic. Reflective. Grateful. And, if there is ever a week to feel all of those things, then it is this week.

So, here we are. At the end of 2024. Another year has gone and we begin to turn our thoughts and attention to the new year that is before us,

And so, for the sake of old times, “for auld lang syne”, my dear. Let us settle our souls and remember the days and months that have passed. Let us quiet all thoughts and worries for the future as much as we can, and turn our focus way down deep into the spaces that hold our secret dreams and wishes. Let us listen and write. Let us dream and ponder. But, more than anything, let’s just rest for a while. Linger in the moment, allow the darkness to soften our souls, as the days melt into one another during this most magical, liminal time.

Now is the time to just be.

New Year’s blessings to you. xoxo. liz.

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Hello, you.

How are you doing, my friend? What are you feeling and experiencing as we enter the often busiest time of the holiday festivities?

For me, the most important part of living in rhythm with the seasons, is to actually live in rhythm with the seasons. To remember that change is constant. To not hold on too tight, but to also not give into despair.

Amazingly, right in the nick of time before all hope is lost, we have just crossed over the winter solstice threshold and find ourselves in the middle of what I like to call “the yuletide portal”, a liminal season from the winter solstice to the 12th day of Christmas (January 5). A portal of shifting and transitioning and dreaming and resting. This is a time of hope and magic and peace and quietness.

Now that we have crossed over the threshold, there is no obvious change in the darkness of our winter days. And, there is no reason to rush it either. Just as the darkness began to slowly creep in all autumn long, so will the sun’s strength slowly begin to return. And, to me, that is my invitation to continue to move slowly through the entire month after the solstice, to move slowly through the yuletide portal, and to move slowly through the week ahead and the beginning of the new year.

There is no rush. And there is much magic and rest to be found in the long winter that lies ahead.

My friend, I wish you the most merriest of holidays and celebrations both great and small this week. But, mostly, I wish you blessings of peace and love that fill your soul and spill out into your life.

❍↟☽

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I’m feeling quite nostalgic as we move into the third week of December. Perhaps it’s the full moon overhead that is heightening my emotions and thoughts of Christmases past. Perhaps it’s the continually deepening and darkening days up here in Northern Europe that create an atmosphere for quiet moments of remembering. Perhaps it’s the coming celebration of the Winter Solstice that inspires me to reach back into ancient rituals of ancestors and loved ones long gone. Most likely it’s a combination of everything I’ve mentioned. Whatever the reason, though, the holiday season and the month of December offer us a chance to revisit old memories, stirring up old feelings of nostalgia, longing, gratitude, and inspiration.

Today is also the last full moon of the year. It is known as the Cold Moon or Long Nights Moon, as it is the full moon just before the Winter Solstice. These are nights for ghosts and memories. For ancestors and spirits. For rituals and magic. For exploring the core of who we are, who we have been, and what parts of us we might always carry with us.

If there is ever a week to ground ourselves and remember who we are, then this is it. Spend some moments with those core beliefs, traditions, and rituals that remind you of who you are and who you are becoming. I’ll be doing the same. And I’ll be in touch in a week - to celebrate and mark Yuletide and the solstice portal together.

Hi! If you are new here, I’m Liz. I wish you a warm welcome to the Wild Soul Collective. I write seasonal letters and record a podcast for those of us who long to live a slow life in rhythm with nature. All posts are always free, so please subscribe + join. We would love to have you here. ❍↟☽

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Here we are, about to begin the second week of December, moving ever so slowly deeper into the month and deeper into the darkness. The week ahead calls us to acknowledge the darkness, to recognize both the beauty and the hopelessness of the darkness, but to not be afraid of it – whether it be the dark cold of winter or the dark pain of the world.

December is a portal through the darkest days of the year. Hold on. Stay slow. Be gentle with yourself and with everyone you meet. Hang twinkle lights, bring in the evergreen, ring bells, wander the streets all decked out for the holidays, write down your hopes and dreams and doubts and fears, sing out “O Come, Emmanuel”, and dare to hold onto hope - even on the darkest days.

We’re in this together, love.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit wildsoulcollective.substack.com