in the heart of winter

A poem for the season, a little music, and various reflections I’ve come across this month. It feels like so many of us are craving a deep sense of reconnection to the natural world, and attuning ourselves to seasonal shifts is a beautiful doorway into that practice. Winter can be a challenging time to embrace, but over the last few years I’ve felt something move beneath the surface of that resistance, and I am guessing that many of you have, as well. More than ever, I’ve been coming across so much writing on the topic that resonates. You’ll find a few of those pieces, below.

I’ve also been reflecting quite a lot on something I read recently in Jessica DeFino’s newsletter, The Unpublishable, about beauty professionals giving up their lengthy multi-product, “active”-heavy skincare regimens for a simpler approach. I was honestly a bit shocked to hear about the sheer quantity of different items people seem to be using in their routines, and was not at all surprised to hear that this is causing lots of issues. If you’ve ever written to me asking about which of our products might be best for this or that skincare issue, you’ll know that I will often suggest reducing the number of products you use dramatically, sometimes down to just doing a simple oil cleanse routine with organic jojoba oil and a warm, soft damp cloth. In this moment of great disconnect from our natural world, we can also become quite disconnected from our own bodies and spirits. So often what seem like challenging skin situations are really messages from our body about something that needs to happen differently. More rest, more water, more nourishing movement. Perhaps fewer products, but gentler ones to support the skin’s inherent healing and thriving ability. A practice of reconnection that can begin with our skin, but extend to our spirits. Curious to know your thoughts on Jessica’s piece!

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reading:

in the icelight

the art of hibernation + also: Wintering

winter solstice chant

listening:

to our winter playlist

a bit of ancient music for the season

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Around the studio, I’ve been lighting candles and very gratefully assembling all your holiday orders. You’ll notice a special new seasonal offering in the shop this month, our very luxurious cardamom & coconut milk bath. Inspired by our elettaria botanical perfume, this will make a gorgeously cozy addition to your winter baths. Our forest tea is also back in stock, along with a new taper candle offering to light the long afternoons and evenings.

The first of the paperwhite blooms is always pure magic…

In the garden, I’ve managed to sow some of the native plant seeds (including echinacea, bottle gentian and swamp milkweed) that I collected from our own beds at 6&B this autumn. I’ll be leaving them outdoors with a bit of protection from this crate and a bit of row cover fabric so that they can enjoy the cold period they need before germinating in the spring. Here are some more details on how to do this, from the Wild Seed Project, in Maine. The garden looks beautiful as winter approaches. Crabapple boughs are laden with fruit for the birds and sculptural seedheads abound. Sending you all my best wishes for the season ahead.

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more winter musings