Prepping for Winter: Following the Path of the Monarch in our Own Life

August is a transitional month, the end of the summer, the beginning of fall. It is when kids go back to school, and the last of the summer harvest is collected. It is also the beginning of the migration of monarch butterflies. 

Monarch butterflies begin their trip south in August, and usually arrive for warm weather in November. This particular behavior that they exhibit has us thinking of our own impending winter, and how to better prepare for it. If you’re anything like us, winter brings a lot of hardship. The shorter days leaves us feeling wilted- less ambition, less energy, and often times less ourselves. Once you’re in that place, its hard to do the things you need to get out of it- but if we begin preparing now, come November, we can have made a safer and warmer place to survive the winter in.

Our exercise here isn’t meant to be a stressor- quite the opposite. Our goal is to give you a list of things to consider, and ways to prepare for the hardship of winter, with plenty of time to sort through it all. Like the monarch butterflies, we have 3 months to make this journey!

This prep list will be sorted into two categories; inward and outward. Inward is all about how we take care of ourselves, and outward will be how we take care of our environment and the other people who inhabit it. 

Inward: How can we prepare our physical, mental and spiritual, health for hardship?

• Doctors: What things can we prepare to ensure our physical health is monitored, and maintained?

  • Schedule any preventative appointments you can (physical, eye, dental, etc.)

  • Check your prescriptions to ensure you have refills. If you can, request 90 day supplies of things.

  • Begin paying attention to the way your body feels. Winter can trigger a lot of things, and those changes should be noted, and at times reported to your primary care.

• Routine: What ways can you begin a routine that will make winter easier?

  • Establish a sleep schedule that meets your needs. In addition, when working on a sleep routine, you can work on a good skincare, or dental routine as part of your wind down.

  • Find a way to work physical motion into your daily routine, movement can help prevent the ache that comes with winter. and can help your body adjust to the change of daylight hours. (bonus if you can do it outside to get extra time in the sun!)

• Spiritual: What can we do to support our craft?

  • Try to fit some sort of daily practice into your previously mentioned routines. You could try affirmations while getting ready, adding a moment to manifest before bed, or journal with your morning coffee

  • Build an alter in your home. Alters can be for deities, for manifestation, or just for yourself. Carving out space in your home for an alter gives you a reminder of the things you want to work on, and can be a place to ground yourself when the darkness feels a bit heavy.

  • Expand your curiosity. The incoming winter is full of cozy time, perfect for working on a new workbook, watching a creator who makes content about your craft, or getting a book to be snuggly with. Now is a prime time to start exploring who or what you want to get cozy and learn more about witchcraft with.  

Outward: How can we take better care of our home, community, and our favorite people?

• Stay Social: How can we prevent winter isolation?

  • Try to establish a routine social interaction. You could join a DnD group, book club, or even just planning some sort of weekly check in with your friends on Discord. Winter brings isolation, and getting ahead of it can make the cold feel less lonely.

  • Create a support network, and let them know what you may need. Try to find at least one friend who would be willing to check in regularly, and don't wait until you have a bad day to let them know what things help you feel better. Encourage your friends to share what they need to. The buddy system is important even beyond kindergarten.

  • Find a third Space you love! Third spaces are places you can go hang out, usually with no cost, that allow community to congregate. Think libraries, community centers, and even your local small coffee shop. Knowing where these places are, and getting to know them offers the comfort of knowing when you feel too cooped up, you have a place you can be.

• Prep Your Home: Making Hibernation as cozy as possible

  • Do any important home maintenance. If there's something you've been putting off fixing, don't wait until it's cold. Cold weather is harder for handymen to work in, and often can worsen the condition of existing problems.

  • Figure out a house care routine. Knowing what days you are doing certain chores can help you feel more steady when our clocks fall back, and if you live with others, establishing who's in charge of which things, and holding each other accountable can make it all feel less overwhelming.

  • Do cold weather prep. The cost to heat a home is rising, and there's lots of ways we can help insulate our homes better. Thrift thick curtains, figure out where drafts are coming from, and learn how to plastic your windows.

  • Do a fall deep clean. Clear out clutter, and try to reset your house. Cold weather and shorter days tend to make us more likely to let doom piles build.

This is a lot of things to think about and work towards. If you're feeling overwhelmed that's perfectly reasonable. There is no hard deadline to get any of these things done, and no requirement to do every single step listed here!

The most important thing you can do is stay calm, reflect on winters passed, and evaluate what you need to do to make this winter the easiest, calmest, warmest, and safest winter you can.

Keep an eye out for Monarch Butterflies, and if you see one, say "thank you" for pollinating our plants, and reminding us how beautiful life can be.