Taming winter

"To accept the cold, you need to have something in you that is of the order of trust. In yourself, in the other, in the connection with nature. That trust comes from connection."

Marie-José Piantino del Molino, philosopher-therapist

"I'll come in the summer, I hate being cold"

Every time I hear this phrase, I'm a little puzzled. If you're well dressed, you won't be cold, that's my first thought. But are we really talking about clothes? It's pretty easy these days to get clothes that are warm enough to spend a day outdoors in cold weather. So what are we really talking about? Fear and disconnection. This friend's latest reflection, talking about my nature cooking workshops, made me want to write this post for you.

Are we afraid of our wild side?

"I don't see why I should put myself through this unpleasant experience. When it's cold, all I want to do is go home and hide. I could go through the winter without ever setting foot outside! "I thought of this phrase from a Lakota medicine man (a Native American tribe of the Sioux ethnic group):

"I think white people are so afraid of the world they have created that they don't want to see it, experience it with their senses, know its smell, or hear about it. Rain or snow on your face, the cold wind whipping by, and then the smoke of a good fire to warm you up-that's what makes you feel really alive, but you don't want that anymore."

This friend's fear of the cold made me want to try a little experiment: to visit the Givrine. For those of us who don't know Switzerland well, let me explain: Givrine is called the Siberia of Switzerland. The local micro-climate makes the region freezing. Every time a cold snap comes, the thermometer drops to minus 30 degrees, and I was eager to find out how my body would react to this kind of intense cold. How would my wild side behave? Would I be afraid of nature, of an accident, of turning back?

The magic of the cold and the link

The magic of the cold worked almost instantly. First of all, there is this bond that is automatically created with the other cold lovers: you don't come here by chance, nor just to have a drink somewhere. You come for the experience of the cold. The smiles, the "hello's" are spontaneous, sincere, and even a little heard: you too, you know? Feeling connected with other humans is good.

And then, after a few minutes, there is this adjustment. To the temperature of course, but also to the place. To the song of the wind, to the silence of the snow, to the enveloping and diffuse light. My ears, my eyes and my heart opened. I breathed more deeply, and this inner smile that one sometimes experiences in meditation suddenly appeared inside me. To feel the vibration of the world within oneself is a particularly gratifying experience, which brings absolute joy to those who are willing to try it.

Of course, I was well dressed. And I had hot tea and something to eat with me. I only regretted not deciding to light a fire. I came home tired and happy. I had experienced the relationship: a circle, in which the elements, humans and the earth, come together in one breath. I also experienced confidence: my body and mind are perfectly poised to master the cold. I was not able to face the cold, but to take advantage of it to get inner strength.

If you too want to discover the power of relationship, to learn to talk with nature while cooking on a campfire, join me for an upcoming event. The fire, the forest and me, we are waiting for you.

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