Editor’s Note: Winter Edition no. 246

“Wisdom comes with winters.”
                                     Oscar Wilde

A tree cannot survive winter without healthy roots. Neither can we.

The ancients share wisdom encouraging us to rest more in this season, choosing what we say ‘yes’ to is critical. Consideration and a commitment to wellness within and resting will likely help to reduce the number of colds and flus and to enable our immune systems to thrive.

Winter invites deeper reflection and is an opportunity to rest and reconnect to what’s vital in your life.  It’s an opportunity to start or deepen a meditation practice.  It’s an opportunity to journal; it’s an opportunity to allow your inner knowing, the ancient wisdom within to speak.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), winter is associated with the water element which is the foundational element of TCM. Your true self is the foundation of who you are. This is an opportunity to choose to be in alignment with your values and your true self.  

Be the seed this winter. Seed needs to hibernate each year, to rest and wait until spring when it can grow and blossom. Deep within us is a seed in each of us that craves deep rest in this season. Sleep is a critical part of rest and hibernation, it is however only a part of it.

There are seven different types of rest identified by Saundra Dalton-Smith including: Physical, mental, sensory, creative, emotional, social and spiritual rest.

This really hit home as I and the entire team ran head-on into winter – full speed and full volume.  Doing what we love. Yes indeed we are!  Yet, in time of spiritual rest – whatever that is for you – and  when we consider that ‘wellness within’ is the precursor of wellness ‘without’; the word ‘rest’ is not only a noun, it’s a verb too!

Wellness within is under the spotlight and we feature cannabis therapy in this bumper edition which also has the full KwazuluSpirit Festival programme inside.

The 2024 festival takes place 9, 10 and 11 August just after at the start of Lion’s Gate 8.8 and in an 8 year.

Join us at the Laughing Forest in Elysium for a personal journey of discovery. With inspirational teaching and guidance from industry thought leaders: mindfulness, holistic health, mental health, self-care, sound, frequency and spiritual connectedness. This is wellness within at its very core. How serendipitous that Elysium was the paradise of the mortals. Described by ancient Greek poets as a beautiful place of luscious meadows, flowing streams and abundant vegetation where time was spent making music and singing in joyful celebration.

We hope to see you there, all love Debra