Essence of the Seasons ~ Winter 2026

Hey lovely one,

You’ve changed. I can sense you have even though I’m not physically next to you. There is this knowing calling out from your depths and echoing within the chambers of your heart – yearning to be heard, embraced, and embodied. Perhaps.

The things is, I feel there is a very pivotal shift happening for many of us at the moment. More than ever before I have had friends and family alike, myself included, that are questioning. This questioning is different than that of the past. It doesn’t come solely from the analytical mind, it’s extremely visceral, felt from within. And yet the within wants to burst free into your reality, into the everyday embodiment of what it is to be completely and utterly this version of who are you now – in your absolute fullness.

This is powerful.

It can also be fucking terrifying.

Especially when you aren’t 100% sure what the ‘embodiment’ and ‘integration’ of this version of you looks like out… there.

How can we lean into trust when so much may feel unknown?

Now, I am no expert in your lived experience, I want to emphasise that. But if you’re reading this I imagine we’ve crossed paths because you’ve felt called to integrate more slowness, mindfulness and feeling into your life because of change, burn out or general curiosity.

Ahhh that last word there is just what I was meant to write – curiosity. Could you continue to be curious about what is coming up for you? See it, feel it, write it down if you need too or even share it with a loved one.

And then maybe you could return to your foundations – your breath, slow movement or a moment of pause – no matter how long or short.

It’s in these moments that you create a passage between the heart and your reality. It’s in these moments you switch from left side of your brain (analytical, forward thinking, methodical) to beautiful right side of your brain (present, felt-sense, emotion).

And in these moments, you consciously build one more section of the bridge between your inner shifts and outer alignment – the life that is calling you in and you calling it.

I encourage you to keep going. Keep pausing. Keep feeling. Keep taking step by step. I am here alongside you.

If you need some support, I’d encourage you to look through this newsletter. I have very purposefully included a short yin practice targeting the kidney and urinary bladder meridians ~ it’s these pathways that hold fear, fatigue and anxiety. There is also a short mindfulness practice to use as you sip on your morning or evening beverage.

As I mentioned, I too have been feeling the shifts within. This has resulted in some changes to my in-person yoga schedule which are relayed below. The call to hold more prolonged spaces and accessible online offerings has been very apparent so I’ll let you peruse the physical expressions of that below.

Winter is the season of reflection and journeying into the depths. So without saying much more I’ll leave you with this passage from a card I drew from a beautiful deck called the Spiral Oracle – funnily enough, my intuition told me a shuffle was needed for this newsletter.. which I've never done before but I suppose this itself is one more section of the bridge being built to bring the outside depth to the outside world.

With love and gratitude,

Gem

Card: I AM

"In this holographic reality we function like mirrors. I mirror you and you mirror me. I look into my mirror. I look at you - I look at myself. I can clearly see myself when I observe you. The outside acts as a mirror of my mind where I see different qualities of my own essence, of my most primitive self, reflected.

I grew up in a fragmented society that made me believe in "not being"; not being enough, not being valuable, not being capable. I often believed I had a broken wing. This aspect of society is also my mirror, a very useful one, which can encourage me to take care of myself in harmful situations. It makes me appreciate life and see it from another perspective. It gives me an opportunity to educate and expand my vision of reality.

I now see that "not being" is an illusion, is a veil, based on a mistaken belief system and a projection of inherited fears. 

I pause and look at you again. I look at myself again.

Seeing a spectrum of light and shadow. I assimilate the information received and I weigh it up. When I look at myself through harsh, closed or authoritative mirrors I have the opportunity to review my own violence, to set limits, to express myself and to let go as necessary.

I always deserve love.

When I connect with sweeter, more loving and more compassionate mirrors I am filled with peace, connection to life and to my purpose. Because our humanity is in essence pure love, and that is on e of the most beautiful reflections.

I Am.

The act of observing says more about the observer than about what is observed.

Silence. I rest in silence. Silence reveals the truth. From the silence the answers spring. I am able to look beyond the story I have told myself and observe my current situation clearly.

Today I grow and heal with love.

From: Spiral Oracle by Lili Acuna