Winter: A Spiritual Biography of the Season

By Susan M. Felch

Book Overview

Explore how the dormancy and difficulty of winter can be a time of spiritual preparation and transformation.

For many, winter is a time of postponed activity―and of shoveling snow, navigating ice, and trying to keep warm. What can easily be forgotten in winter's cold and occasional dreariness is that it can also be a time of shoring up, of purity, praise, delight, and play.

In thirty stirring pieces―from translated Sanskrit and Hebrew poems to Henry David Thoreau and Basho, Jane Kenyon, John Updike, Kathleen Norris, and Annie Dillard―we share in the recognition of winter's hardships and celebrate the glory of winter as a spiritual gift―a quiet time in the rhythm of life, a time of thoughtfulness, of looking forward, and of unexpected hope.

Examining our retreat and hibernation from the world, and our ultimate breaking free from icy paralysis, these inspiring selections help us express and understand our own personal reaction to wintertime. They show us the way from the cold of this season to the warmth of the human soul.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 168336497X
• ISBN13: 9781683364979
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Skylight Paths Publishing
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent book for winter meditations

Winter is my favorite season. I moved from Texas to nothern climates just to enjoy winter as I did in my childhood. Winter (the book) allows me to revel in Winter (the season). I like how the many different writers bring varying aspects to the topic creating a depth most books lack. Many of the features confronted my notion and beliefs of the season, but after time and reflection, I began to not only see winter in a new way, but I experienced it differently also. If you like to hibernate for weeks at a time while watching the snow fall, this is a great book to steep you in the season.

Slow down and smell the snow

This is a great collection of works by a diverse range of authors organized by the different aspects of the seasons - renewal, playfulness, isolation. I had first picked this book because it had something from Annie Dillard in it but found a great number of other authors to enjoy in it; actually that has lead to a number of other great book finds - like Indian Creek Chronicles by Pete Fromm which has an excerpt in the book. Too often the years just fly by - we have a been there, scene that attitude which causes us to just gloss over much of life. This `spiritual biography of the season' invites the reader to slowdown and truly observe what is going on around then. So far this is the only one I have read in the series but certainly plan on similarly enjoying a similar look at the other seasons.