December Journal: On Discernment, Seasons & the Quiet Knowing We’ve Forgotten

There are moments in life where something inside us whispers, “Pay attention. There’s more happening here than what you can see.”
December carries that kind of whisper. The air feels thin, honest. Streets glow gold against the early dark, and the world — for a breath — remembers its seasons.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on discernment — a word that used to sound heavier than it actually is. We use it as if it belongs only to ancient sages or scholars, but really, discernment is simply the ability to see clearly in a noisy world.

Discernment is noticing the quiet truths beneath the surface.
It is recognising what nourishes and what drains.
It is sensing when the season is shifting — not outside, but within.

Nature has always modelled this for us.
It doesn’t hurry.

It doesn’t explain.
It simply listens.
To light.
To cold.
To pressure.
To time.
To its own internal knowing.

And then it responds with wisdom….

It reads its environment, adjusts, withdraws, prepares, roots, rests — and then, when the moment is right, it grows again.

My herbal medicine studies have only deepened this awareness: plants read the world far better than we do. They interpret light, cold, pressure, soil stress, moisture, danger — and respond with remarkable intelligence. They strengthen certain compounds in winter, protect themselves in drought, produce resins when wounded, and shift their chemistry depending on what the season requires of them. They don’t ignore the signs of the season — they read them. They interpret them.

Somewhere along our human journey, we forgot how to read our own seasons.
We forgot how to interpret the signs of our time.
We forgot that intuition is a sense — not a superstition.

And we forgot that discernment is not fear; it is wisdom.

The Signs of the Times — And What They Ask of Us

There is an ancient line written about a group known as the “sons of Issachar” — people who understood the times, saw what was unfolding around them, and knew how to respond. They weren’t panicked or reactive; they were steady, perceptive, grounded. They were watchers, interpreters, and wise counsellors in their day.

Not astrologers in the modern pop-culture sense, but readers of seasons, patterns, human nature, cause and effect. They knew what currents were shifting and how to walk in step with them rather than be swept under.

We need that skill again.

Not to predict the future, but to navigate the present with clarity.
To know when to speak and when to stay silent.
When to root deeper and when to move.
When to conserve and when to pour out.
When something is a distraction and when something is a divine nudge.

Because let’s be honest:
The modern world is loud.
Overcrowded with opinions, noise, advertisements, narratives, comparisons and performance.
We are overstimulated yet undernourished. Connected to everyone yet often disconnected from ourselves.

Discernment has never been more needed than now. It is how we learn to navigate all of that without losing ourselves.

Nature, Medicine & Discernment

As part of my herbal journey, I’ve been studying how certain plants withstand hardship — not by resisting their environment, but by working with it. They sense the shift in season and activate different internal responses.

That is discernment.
Noticing. Responding. Adjusting with wisdom.

Humans… we tend to override those signals.
We ignore the exhaustion.
We numb the intuition.
We quiet the inner warnings that say, “This doesn’t feel right,” or the inner invitation whispering, “This is worth following.”

But plants?
They listen to everything.
The soil. The season. The light. The pressure. The changes.
And they adapt accordingly.

This, to me, is the very essence of discernment:
listening → interpreting → responding with wisdom.

Yet humans often override these signals.
We override exhaustion.
We silence our own intuition.
We ignore the internal tug that says,
“This isn’t aligned,”
or the gentle invitation that whispers,
“This is the path. Follow it.”

There’s a lesson in that for all of us — especially in December, when nature withdraws to concentrate energy at its roots.

What if this month wasn’t about finishing strong…
but finishing aware?

What if the call isn’t hustle…
but discernment?

What if this season is asking you:
What is actually mine to hold right now — and what isn’t? and what is no longer my responsibility?

Where My Journey Meets This Reflection

As I prepare for the next phase of my life — new location, new chapter, new soil to put my roots into — discernment has become less of a concept and more of a necessary companion.

This last year asked a lot of me.
Health challenges, shifts, decisions, rebuilding, letting go, learning to hear myself again.

But perspective changes everything.
And perspective is a form of discernment too.

When you’ve walked through illness or recovery, your awareness sharpens.
You feel the difference between noise and truth.
Between what drains you and what strengthens you.
Between the people who speak life into your season, and those who only speak confusion.

And in the middle of that refining process, hope grows.
Quiet but steady.
Not the loud, glittering, marketed kind — but the type that sits in your chest and says:

“Something good is still ahead. Keep preparing.”

The Wild Remedy, Intuition & Returning to What is Real

The Wild Remedy has always been rooted in nature, honesty, service, and slow-living — but now more than ever, our work feels like a return to sanity.

When the world becomes overwhelming, the small rituals matter:

Lighting a candle with intention
Massaging tired hands with magnesium butter
Creating something with natural materials
Gathering with others in a workshop and remembering community
Journaling with truth instead of perfection

These aren’t luxuries.
They are anchors.
They are ways of saying, “I choose to be present in my own life.”

And they sharpen our discernment because they bring us back into our bodies, our senses, our spirit, our intuition — where clarity has always lived.

As we step into December, I invite you to join our Wild Circle community — a smaller, more intimate space where I share seasonal wisdom, early product releases, behind-the-scenes herbal insights, and the deeper reflections that often don’t make it to Instagram.

And if you’re thinking about gifts (for yourself or someone lovely in your world), our eco therapeutic candles, magnesium butters, sleep sprays, our new herbal facial steams and seasonal workshop vouchers were created for months like this — where warmth, ritual, intention and community matter more than ever. All available from our online shop.

A December Call to Discernment

This month, I encourage you to listen differently.

Listen to:

The subtle shifts in your own season.
The way your intuition rises or tightens.
The quiet boundaries your spirit is asking for.
The direction your peace is pointing.
The signs around you — in nature, in timing, in your body, in the small confirmations.
The people who soften your world instead of harden it.

Here is a simple, grounding herbal ritual for the start of December — something you can offer readers as a seasonal practice.

❄️ Winter Clarity Steam Ritual (for intuition, calm & clear breathing)

A gentle botanical steam to clear the senses, soothe the nervous system, and reconnect you with your inner signals.

You’ll need:

1 handful dried rosemary (clarity + memory)
1 teaspoon dried chamomile or lavender (calming + softening)
A slice of fresh lemon peel (brightness + purification)
Optional: 1 drop eucalyptus essential oil (never directly on the face; added to the bowl only)

How to do it:

Bring a medium bowl of water to a gentle boil.
Add the herbs and lemon peel.
Sit comfortably, place the bowl on a stable surface, and lean your face over it.
Drape a towel over your head to create a warm “tent.”
Close your eyes and breathe slowly for 3–5 minutes.
As you inhale, simply ask:
“What is my season asking of me right now?”
Let whatever rises be enough.
Afterwards, journal a few lines — not to solve anything, but to notice.

This ritual clears the senses, grounds the body, and creates space for discernment to surface naturally.

Discernment is not rare.
It is not reserved for the spiritually elite.
It is a gift woven into every one of us.

We just need to return to it.

May this December bring you clarity, courage, and the confidence to trust what you already know deep inside.

And may you feel guided — not by the noise of the world, but by the wisdom and knowing that has always been yours.

Bee