Hunkering Down Is Not the Same as Hiding Out

This month, February 2022, the energy is encouraging us to hunker down like a conscious hibernating bear. Does that seem like an oxymoron? Kind of like my napitating (consciously meditating while napping).

Have you ever had days when you just wanted to go back to bed and pull the covers over your head? It could mean you are hiding, but it could mean something else. The desire to hunker down can be a message to self that you need a time out or that the energy of the day is not conducive to what’s on your to-do list.

In my experience, pushing through the day, trying to tackle the to-do list is a waste of energy. Your body and your inner knowing self are telling you a different story. But, what is that story?

So, go back to bed or snuggle into your favorite blanket while you lie down on your couch. Assess how you feel. Are you depressed? Are you overworked? Are you discouraged? Stash what you learn into your memory.

Now, turn to your body. How does it feel? What is it trying to tell you? Notice any place that is tight, uncomfortable, or hurting. Don’t problem solve. Just be with what you learn. Again, stash it in your memory.

You are hunkering down into a deeper meaning of why you can’t do what you had planned. The energy of doing is active masculine energy. Going deeper is a way of allowing your receptive feminine energy to listen, sense, and receive information that activates your intuitive knowing of how to be with the energy of hunkering down. This is a way of loving yourself. 

You might also be drawn to watch a certain movie, call a friend, or read a book that just dropped off the shelf. That’s a change of pace, something different from your normal pattern during the day. This too is a way of honoring and loving yourself.

You may wonder how you can do this when you have a job that doesn’t allow hunkering down. You might as well take a personal day off rather than go to work, unless you can shift your focus to something at work that honors your hunkering down day. Otherwise, you will probably feel like you’re spinning your wheels in the mud. And that will leave you frustrated and upset with yourself—the opposite of loving yourself.

We have lived in a world of old masculine energy that tended to ignore the receptive feminine energy. That world was all about how hard you could work and how much you could accomplish. I doubt if you were ever lauded for hunkering down.

And yet, here is what may happen if you honor the hunkering down energy.

• Your body feels refreshed.
• When you are ready to get going again, your memory may activate with solutions for something you were worried about, or plans for something that you thought was on hold.
• That book you read may spark ideas for your next project.
• Calling your friend may have blessed you with a closer relationship.

When I take time out and allow myself to relax into whatever I feel drawn to, magic happens. 

I dial a wrong number. As I chat with the person who answers, I realize this was someone I was meant to meet.

My blog post pretty much writes itself. I no longer feel stuck.

The meeting that was supposed to happen that day gets canceled.

Consider following the energy of hunkering down. See where it takes you. If “shoulds” come up, thank that part of you for sharing, but tell him you are listening to the energy. Invite him to join you. Invite him to also listen to the receptive feminine. Together, they can change your perception.

And then, your day will feel like a warm hug. You hugged yourself; you honored and loved yourself.

Happy hunkering down in February!