Winter Isn’t Something to Overcome: It Is Somewhere to Belong 

Greeting dear friends, Samhain shona daoibh go léir. 

It’s hard to believe that winter is upon us and that we are approaching the end of another calendar year. Yet, at the same time, today marks the beginning of the Celtic New Year. 

Winter often arrives gently, disguised as tiredness, a desire for solitude, a loss of enthusiasm for external events, and a growing need to withdraw. We sometimes forget the impact that the cycles of nature have on our bodies, minds, hearts and spirits. We wonder whether there is something wrong with us, when really, we are simply living in harmony with our nature and moving through the inevitable cycles of change. 

Winter isn’t something to overcome; it is somewhere to belong for a while. 

There is tenderness in the darkness. There is something radical about the darkness of winter. It is a time when we hold both the human and divine aspects of ourselves. The sacred is not separate from everyday living. We don’t need to escape the world to experience magic. Magic is found in the ordinary: making soup, baking bread, doing homework and paying bills. 

Winter can be a time of incubation. A time to confront ourselves and our lifestyles. A time, too, for comfort, acceptance and simply allowing ourselves to be. 

The work of the Dark Mother, the Cailleach, is not merely to nurture what is beautiful and promising, but also to hold what is broken, difficult, frightened and hidden. We, too, have permission to be unfinished, knowing that, hopefully, there will be another year, another winter, and another opportunity to grow. 

Winter is someone I want to spend time with. I have no need to battle with it, conquer it or make a triumphant return. Instead, these next three months are a time for surrender, relationship and being held. I am reminded that there are times when we need to flower, and times when we need to compost. 

Remembering Our Ancestors 

November is a time to remember our ancestors, those we have loved and lost, and the dreams that remain unfulfilled. It is a time when the souls of our loved ones, the ancient beings we carry within us, and the guardians of light walk alongside us. 

This companionship through the darkness is a profound expression of love. 

It brings me into contact with, and mirrors, the kind of love and companionship that we, as counsellors and psychotherapists, offer to the clients who seek our support. What a privilege it is to sit with another human being, to hold a compassionate, non-judgemental space, and to accompany them as they discover meaning and purpose in their lives. 

The Journey of Becoming – Our Trainee Therapists 

I am thinking of our trainee therapists undertaking our four-year BA (Hons) in Holistic Counselling and Psychotherapy (validated by QQI, accredited by IACP and being reviewed to meet CORU standards) delivered in Athlone, Dublin and Galway, and reflecting on their own natural process of becoming. 

Tuckman’s (1965) four stages of group development, together with Jenson’s (1977) additional fifth stage, offer me a wonderful vision board through which to view their personal and professional journeys: 

• Forming – Orientation: A time of getting to know one another, establishing relationships and understanding expectations. 

• Storming – Conflict: A time of negotiating boundaries, power, influence and differences. 

• Norming – Cohesion: A time of developing shared values, establishing clear agreements and building trust. 

• Performing – Execution: A time of productivity, interdependence, confidence and growing autonomy. 

• Adjourning – Termination and Mourning: A time for reflection, debriefing, acknowledging achievements and saying goodbye. 

Like the seasons and cycles of nature, there is a natural process unfolding as our trainees develop into professional companions in the therapy room. 

Rooted in indigenous wisdom and supporting ICPPD’s holistic ethos, we understand the work of holistic counsellors and psychotherapists through four beautiful metaphors: 

• Midwives birthing new ideas – the mental body and Spring. 

• Goldminers searching for hope – the emotional body and Autumn. 

• Gardeners of the soul – the spirit body and Summer. 

• Pilgrims walking each other home – the physical body and Winter. 

Each metaphor offers a different way of understanding the therapeutic journey and the interconnectedness of our human experience. 

Holistic Supervision – Guardians of the Threshold 

ICPPD’s Diploma in Supervision – Across Professions: A Holistic Perspective, accredited by IACP, and well established and vouched for training course, is due to commence next weekend. 

What a wonderful time to begin, in alignment with the Celtic New Year! 

Graduates of this one-year programme are regarded as gatekeepers of the profession. 

In the Celtic tradition, gatekeepers can be understood as guardians of thresholds, facilitators of transition and protectors of cosmic and moral order. 

Holistic supervision is radical in its difference from traditional hierarchical structures. Gatekeepers, in this context, hold the boundary between the wild and the settled, the sacred and the profane. 

Their role is to discern and evaluate whether the traveller – in this case, the supervisee or professional – has the spiritual maturity, respect and readiness to step into the unknown. 

They must also be willing to accompany, challenge and support that journey towards truth. 

A Winter Blessing 

I leave you with a simple blessing: 

May you be held by the wisdom of Winter during the weeks ahead. May you find comfort in the ordinary, tenderness in the darkness, and trust in the natural rhythms of your own becoming. 

With warmth and blessings this Samhain, 

ICPPD