Hi First name / friend,

 

Welcome to our December & January Winter Issue.

 

🍂 Already joined us before? Scroll down to see our seasonal observations and details of our recent and upcoming sessions, including seasonal dates and special themed walks.

 

🌿 Curious to learn more about Forest Bathing? Discover the science, the benefits, and how our sessions work here: Explore Forest Bathing with us

 

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❄️ December & January – Midwinter Stillness and Returning Light 🌌

A seasonal still point before transition… 

🌳 Bare trees stand as sculptures in the pale light, their branches etched against winter skies. Evergreens hold the landscape together, dusted with frost or sparkling beneath a veil of spider webs. Fires crackle, candles glow, and the hush of midwinter invites reflection and rest.

🥕 The land yields sturdy nourishment: Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, carrots, cabbages, kale and winter squashes—warming soups to sustain us through the cold. Apples, pears and nuts still grace the table, while Scotland keeps festive cheer alive with Burns Night suppers on 25th January.

🦌 Wildlife hunkers down—hedgehogs slumber, birds forage on the hedgerow’s last offerings. Yet a morning walk, wrapped warm against the crisp air, offers natural light to balance circadian rhythms and support winter wellbeing.

🌲 Our December and January Forest Bathing sessions honour this time of quiet restoration, offering you space to reconnect with nature’s steady pulse and the promise of returning light.

🌕 Celtic Wheel of the Year 🌿

The Celtic Wheel of the Year encourages us to connect with nature more deeply, and emphasizes the importance of the cycles of the natural world and its rhythms in daily life.

 

✨ December & January – Months of Midwinter Magic & Quiet Renewal ❄️

December takes its name from decem—Latin for “ten”—as it was once the tenth month of the Roman calendar. Though now the twelfth, it still carries the sense of completion and closure, holding the year’s final breath before the turning of the wheel.

🌌 The Winter Solstice on 21st December marks the year’s darkest night and the rebirth of the sun—celebrated as Yule by our Celtic ancestors and Sol Invictus by the Romans. These echoes live on in Christmas traditions of light and renewal, reminding us that even in the deepest dark, hope is kindled. January, named for Janus, the Roman god of doorways, thresholds and new beginnings, invites us to look both back and forward: reflecting on what has been and stepping into what may come.

🕯️ Fires and candles ward off the long nights, evergreens symbolise resilience, and feasts of root vegetables, nuts, apples and winter spices bring warmth and comfort. In Scotland, Burns Night on 25th January keeps community spirit alive with poetry, song, and the sharing of hearty fare.

🦉 Midwinter invites us to draw inward—like hibernating creatures, conserving energy, resting deeply, and listening for the quiet wisdom within. It is a time of reflection and renewal, of trust in nature’s cycles, and of preparing the soil of the soul for spring’s eventual stirring.

For 2026 we’re aligning the Ogham tree calendar with the first New Moon after the Winter Solstice, rather than the traditional Gregorian dates. This feels far more intuitive: the Solstice is the moment of deepest stillness, and the first New Moon afterwards marks the true energetic rebirth of the natural year. As the lunar cycle governs so many indigenous calendars, this adjustment brings the sequence closer to the rhythm of the land itself.
This year, the December New Moon falls on 20th December, almost perfectly on the Solstice threshold, and therefore the end of the Elder Moon in our new system.

Ends: Friday 20th December at 01:43 (New Moon)
The Elder Moon accompanies the deep stillness of early winter.
It is a time of release, completion and ancestral reflection — a moon that invites us to draw inward, honour what has passed, and gently let go of the old as we step into a new stage of life. Elder carries the wisdom of the crone, in acceptance of nature's cycles, focusing on life lessons and intuition, perfectly mirroring December’s contemplative quietude.

Begins: Friday 20th December at 01:43
Ends: Saturday 18th January at 19:52 (New Moon)
The Birch Moon heralds renewal.
With its silvery bark and role as the first tree to re-colonise cleared land, birch symbolises purification, resilience and new beginnings. Falling just after the Winter Solstice, this moon supports inner clearing, gentle rebalancing and the first spark of returning light. It is an ideal period for intention-setting from a place of clarity and simplicity.

Begins: Saturday 18th January at 19:52
Ends: Monday 17th February at 12:01 (New Moon)
The Rowan Moon offers protection, insight and purposeful direction.
Long honoured as a guardian tree at thresholds, rowan strengthens intuition and helps refine vision. As we move through late winter and towards the earliest hints of spring, this moon encourages discernment, spiritual focus and weaving intentions with greater precision. It is a time for aligning plans with inner truth.

🌌 Meteor Showers & Night Sky: Winter’s Celestial Quietude ☄️

Starlit stillness and midwinter calm

December ushers in a deeper hush to the heavens, and January extends this crystalline stillness. Across these long, contemplative nights — framed by the Elder and Rowan Moons — the sky invites slower breathing, softer gazing and a gentler rhythm of reflection.

🌕 Full Moon – Thursday 4th December at 23:15
The Elder Cold Moon closes the year with its themes of release, protection and wisdom. Our meditation takes place earlier in the evening (7.30–9.30pm), offering a beautiful point of reflection before the Solstice shift.

🌑 New Moon – Friday 20th December at 01:43
This final lunar reset of 2025, arriving just before the Solstice, favours quiet replenishment, dream incubation and thoughtful intention-setting as the turning of the light begins.

✨ Geminids (13th–14th December) bring the month’s brightest display, with colourful, plentiful meteors gracing the cold night sky.
💫 Ursids (22nd–23rd December) offer a softer scattering from Ursa Minor, ideal for peaceful, contemplative viewing.

🌕 Full Moon – Tuesday 13th January at 22:26
The Rowan Moon opens 2026 with clarity, resilience and spiritual focus — a supportive moment for strengthening intentions and aligning direction for the year ahead.

🌑 New Moon – Thursday 29th January at 12:35
A daylight New Moon that encourages practical beginnings, gently grounding midwinter dreams into early-year actions.

✨ Quadrantids (peaking 3rd–4th January) are January’s major meteor shower, renowned for brief but intense bursts of bright meteors radiating from northern Bootes. When the peak aligns with dark skies, they can be among the most striking of the year.
💫 Delta Cancrids (mid-January) offer a faint, quiet drizzle of meteors — subtle, but well suited to the reflective hush of post-Solstice nights.

Together, December and January hold a rare sense of poised magic — a two-month celestial pause, inviting stillness before the first stirrings of spring.

Katie reflects on an unforgettable sighting.

At our complementary health group meeting in November, we were captivated by a remarkable sight. Gazing out of the large windows, we initially noticed around 20 mallards walking in a single file between hedges, but soon realized there were hundreds of males and females, stretching back in a line across the field towards the lake.

Their loud quacking signalled they were heading for the field margin with trees and bushes, happily feasting on something from the ground. Some ducks moved in a line within the field, while others turned back, but most remained milling about. After observing for a couple of hours, I left with unanswered questions:

Could this manifestation relate to the abundant fruits, berries and nuts typical of a “mast” year?

Mallards possess symbolic meaning. Their ability to thrive on land, in water, or in the air highlights adaptability and balance. This adaptability reminds us to flow between our emotions (water) and thoughts (air), promoting flexibility amid change. The watery environment of ducks symbolizes emotional balance, encouraging us to embrace life’s transitions.

In various traditions, mallards represent resilience and signify fertility, abundance, and new beginnings, making their appearance a potential good omen for new projects.

 

Encountering mallards can prompt us to reflect on:

To connect with mallard energy, we can sit by a pond, lake or river, reflect on our flexibility or journal, and/or practise letting go of lingering emotions, as if flowing like water.

A beautifully illustrated calming story, as well as informative for parents and educators.

Nigel Grimes's book is a delightful journey through the woods, as Grandma and the forest show Amelia how to let the magic of nature change her worries to calm. It is a 3-in-1 book: 1) an uplifting, experiential story for children, 2) a way to show or remind parents of the benefits of connecting more deeply with nature, plus further activities at the back, and 3) further information including research data for educators. We attended the launch party and bought four copies ourselves, because it ticks all our boxes! Order from Waterstones below:

In November Joanna met up with Tom Hill, NT Trees & Woodland Adviser, Ancient Tree Forum Trustee, and creator of The Meaning of Trees podcast. His work weaves together ecology, heritage and the deep stories held within our landscapes, making it a natural fit for anyone drawn to woodland connection and the quiet intelligence of trees.

If you have a moment over the winter months, his projects offer a thoughtful companion to the darker evenings:

🎧 The Meaning of Trees Podcast
A gentle, insightful series exploring our relationship with trees, woodland culture and the histories rooted in the land.
YouTube channel (also available on Spotify & Apple Podcasts):
YouTube link to Podcast

🎥 Sentinels Documentary
A beautifully crafted film honouring some of our most ancient trees and the ecosystems they safeguard. Link to Sentinels on YouTube

Perfect viewing for quiet winter evenings when the land is resting and we are invited to slow down with it.

🌿 Immerse Yourself in Woodland Tranquillity 🌿

 

Join us for a transformative Forest Bathing session in the stunning private semi-ancient woodland at Harry Edwards Foundation, nestled deep in the natural beauty of the Surrey Hills. This guided nature experience is based on the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku, designed to help you slow down, engage your senses, and reconnect with the natural world in all its seasonal beauty.

 

Led by experienced guides Joanna Bristow-Watkins and Katie Robinson, we will take you on a mindful, sensory journey through the woodland. Feel the changes in the air, observe the seasonal colours, inhale the fresh, earthy scents, and listen to the gentle sounds of nature. As the session unfolds, you’ll deepen your connection through:

🌲 Guided Sensory Exploration – Engaging with nature through sight, touch, sound, and smell.
🌳 A ‘Treelaxation’ Nature Meditation – A deeply restorative practice beneath the trees.
🍃 Woodland Tea Ceremony – A soothing moment to close the experience.

 

📅 Upcoming Public Sessions:
📍 Harry Edwards Foundation, Surrey Hills
⏳ Duration: 3 hours (2.5 hours Dec–Feb)
💷 Cost: £37.77 (2.5 hours) | £39.77 (3 hours March-Nov)

🗓 Forthcoming Dates (more to follow):

📢 IMPORTANT: Booking Within 48 Hours?
Please text 07930 414525 before booking to confirm availability. Book any of the above public sessions at the Harmony Shop

Wokingham Forest Bathing Session

🌿 Monthly events at California Country Park, Wokingham, RG40 4HU 

 

🌲In collaboration with The Forest Bathing Institute and Wokingham Countryside, we now have a forest bathing event booked most months for 2.5 hours. This route takes a maximum of 12 people, and is a feast for our eyes and noses, as nature's scents increase in the damp weather. Do come and join us if this is not too far from you.

🌲This location holds real variety, and while we start and end in woodland, we wander by a lake, heathland, open fields and a boardwalk area reminiscent of a mangrove swamp, each with its own characteristics and sensory charm. 
🌲You will need to book this event directly through Wokingham Countryside bookings, from a range of other events: Book here

 

📅 Upcoming Public Sessions | 10.30am –1pm | £36: 

 Our Other venues

We also arrange private bookings and/or corporate sessions at a selection of locations in the Surrey Hills (Shere, Bramley, Guildford, Woking & Tadworth) and London (SW20, SW14, NW3).  Contact us for details on katieandjo@harmonyinnature.uk

Through Harmony Healing, Joanna offers a variety of online esoteric and energy healing courses, including online and in-person self-empowerment courses, intuitive readings and 1-2-1 energy healing sessions. Her Violet Flame of Amenti Course starts online 7.30-9.30pm on Thursday 18th December.

 

Joanna also hosts monthly Full Moon Meditations online from 7.30-9.30pm (UK time) and produces a monthly Celestial Forecast, which includes insights on Moon Phases, Asteroid Showers, and Ancient & Modern Festivals, subscribe here.

 

Katie offers intuitive health mentoring and 1:1 places for Nurtured by Nature One-day Reset Retreats (Facebook Link, or message Katie without obligation for details). These retreats are designed for those needing a complete mind and body reset, away from their usual work and routines. Tailored to your needs, they include a selection from nutrition, breathing awareness, mindful movement, sounding or chanting, essential oils, ‘de-chemicalising’ your lifestyle, natural first aid, Reiki, and sensory nature connection through Forest Bathing. You will take away tips to transmute stress into calm.

 

The full day retreat is £366, with half days, or for 2-3 people, available on request. To discuss your ideal retreat, message Katie directly on 07596 830910.

 

 

mob. 07930 414525 Jo
mob. 07596 830910 Katie