"Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible."- Katherine May
December? Already?! Somehow this year seems to have hurried itself along—or perhaps that’s just how it feels in the swirl of endings, beginnings, and all the moments in between. This season always brings its own peculiar blend: the stocktaking of what has been achieved (and what has not); the final push to year-end; the delicious but demanding bustle of Christmas—presents, gatherings, cards, cooking, travel, and the eternal question of what on earth to wear.
There’s something about Advent that always seems to arrive a little earlier than expected. Just as the natural world is easing into hibernation, we’re invited out into the bright whirl of carols, parties, and celebration. It can feel contradictory, can’t it? Maybe this season is an opportunity for a different kind of preparation: not the frantic kind fuelled by lists and deadlines, but the gentler kind shaped by presence, reflection, and small sparks of hope. A moment to take a breath before the year tips into its final chapter.
My own 2025 has held both the marvellous and the challenging: the joy of travelling to Bali and Canada; the excitement of partnering with Kit and Mark to bring The Inner Forge into being; teaching Colour Mirrors Practitioner Training. And woven through it, moments of deep poignancy—saying farewell to friends who passed on, closing Earthlight, and watching Mark weather Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. As we turn towards 2026, I find myself hoping for more new friendships, more creative projects, more travel—and holding the gentle reminder that the universe often has its own timing in these things.
The Cold Moon – 4th December
December arrives with the longest nights of the year, and Thursday evening brings the final Supermoon of 2025—the Cold Moon, rising at 23:14 GMT. As winter settles in with its quiet insistence, there is wisdom in the darkening: not everything needs to hurry. Not everything is meant to unfold at once.
Across cultures in the Northern Hemisphere, the December full moon marked a threshold into winter proper—a time of gathering close, tending hearth fires, sharing stories, and conserving energy for the brighter days to come. This wasn’t a season of loss but of purposeful rest. And the moon’s brightness against the long dark carried a message of reassurance: you are not alone here.
Gate 5 — Waiting: Universal Timing
As the Cold Moon rises, we meet Gate 5 — Waiting, an energy that reminds us that all of life emerges in its own natural rhythm. Waiting is not stagnation; it is alignment.
Line 2 teaches Finding Tranquillity: the art of allowing right timing to reveal itself. Every action has its moment, and we are either at ease with waiting—or resisting it.
The shadow is impatience: that restless sense that progress should be happening now.
The gift is patience: the capacity to be present calmly within the “not yet.”
The highest expression is timelessness: stepping out of linear urgency and into natural rhythm.
There is a delicious irony in the Sun passing through this Gate of Waiting just as everyone is rushing around before Christmas. What if you gave yourself a moment of stillness, the ground from which your next chapter might grow?
Bottle 5 — Mercury (Green/Pale Green)
Bottle 5, Mercury, enters with its message of movement, communication, and changeability. Quick-minded and adaptable, Mercury usually dances ahead—yet even Mercury bows to timing. This bottle invites a shedding of old masks: the identities we took on for safety, approval, or belonging. December’s message is unmistakably that what once concealed you no longer serves. Your truth wants to be spoken—not loudly, not theatrically, but clearly and without apology.
Working with December's Energy
Practise active waiting:
This is not resignation. It’s attentive presence. What begins to shift when you stop trying to force an outcome
Trust your rhythm:
The oak doesn’t flower in December. Dormancy is not failure—it is restoration. What part of your life might need its own winter?
Tell the truth of your magnificence:
What masks are ready to fall away? What truth wants to be spoken, even if only to yourself at first?
Find peace in the pause:
What if winter isn’t something to push through but something to inhabit gently?
Make space for emergence:
The Cold Moon reflects sunlight instead of generating its own. What might you reflect right now without striving?
Book Corner
This month I’m sharing Wintering by Katherine May, with thanks to my friend Elaine for introducing me to the book. It’s a tender companion for these longest nights. May explores her own unexpected “wintering” – a period of slowing down, withdrawing, and healing.
“Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening… They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through.”
Her reflections echo Gate 5’s wisdom: that not all seasons are for blooming. Some are for conserving energy, tending inner ground, and trusting that movement will return.
Invitations
1. The 12 Dragons of Wisdom — Book Launch
2. The Inner Forge — New Moon Circles 2026
Starting on 18th January 2026, I’ll be gathering each month with my colleague Kit Mills and my son Mark Stevens for New Moon Circles via Zoom (7:00–8:30pm UK time). A monthly pause. A chance to reconnect, reset, and tend your inner fire in community.
If you’d like to register interest or book your spot, we’d love to see you. You’ll find details here:
3. Colour Mirrors Practitioner Training — 2026
I’m delighted to be offering Colour Mirrors Practitioner Training again next year, both online and in person. If you feel drawn to this work or curious about the pathways it opens, I’d love to talk.
Please email me at psw@dagaz.me or:
Final Thoughts
The blend of Gate 5 and Mercury reminds me of one of my father’s favourite sayings:“Engage brain before opening mouth.” It’s often wise advice, but especially helpful in the emotional weather of Christmas. Sometimes the difference between harmony and conflict rests on a single, deliberate pause. It isn’t only about what we say to others; it’s also about our internal voice. Please be kind to yourself in this busy season, especially in how you speak to yourself, just as you do with others.
With best wishes for the Festive Season and love from the water’s edge,
