Gerry Starnes shares this article with us this month about Preparation.
From Returning Light to Preparing the Ground
December’s returning light does not arrive all at once. It comes gradually, almost imperceptibly. Past the Winter Solstice, the light of longer days begins to stretch into the dark. January carries that light forward, not yet as growth, but as readiness and intention.
Here, in the warmer climes of the northern hemisphere, much of the soil remains open, breathing, workable – grasses resilient, trees quietly holding their energy. The earth is neither dormant nor active, but poised, gathering itself for what lies ahead.
This in-between quality is mirrored in the human spirit. The turning of the year invites beginnings, yet January reminds us that true beginnings start with readiness rather than action. What was released in the darkness of December now has space to settle, decompose, and transform. The returning light reveals not what we must do next, but what is now possible. This is a season of recalibration: aligning intention with truth, and desire with capacity.
This is the time when careful attention matters more than effort. Plans are sketched lightly in pencil, ready to be amended; tools are repaired and sharpened for use. Spiritually, we are asked to do the same. To tend the inner soil. To notice where energy flows easily and where it meets resistance. To choose not grand resolutions, but clear conditions that support what we hope to grow. January teaches that strong roots form in quiet moments, and that the most important work often happens below the surface.
Reflection for January: Tending the Inner Soil
Where do you feel a gentle readiness emerging in your life – not a push to act, but a sense of quiet alignment? What conditions would help that readiness take root and mature in its own time?
Choose a quiet moment outdoors or near a window, preferably where you can see the land or sky. Stand or sit with your feet in contact with the ground. Take several slow breaths, allowing your weight to settle downward, noticing where your body naturally relaxes.
Bring to mind something you released in December – an expectation, a role, a pattern, or a way of being. Without analyzing it, imagine it breaking down into compost, becoming nourishment rather than loss.
Then, ask yourself: What quality wants to grow now? (Not a goal, but a way of being: patience, clarity, courage, trust…)
End by naming one simple condition you can tend in the coming weeks – more rest, clearer boundaries, time outdoors, honest conversation. Let this be your way of preparing the ground, trusting that growth will come in its own season.
May you have a blessed and bright dawning into 2026!
— Shamanic Community of Austin Leadership Council
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