As the image on this issue's cover of Alaska Wellness reminds us, we are approaching the season of winter. For some, this period brings introspection and integration as we move inward, both physically and mentally. Mirrored by the land's quiet slumber, it is a time of calm silence, of slowing down and taking stock of all we have accomplished this year. So, too, do we enter the warmth and family-oriented cheer of the holidays. Traditionally, the season of winter is about many things -- completion, renewing our trust in the goodness of life, and the celebration of life not yet born.

As Isha and Mark Lerner (creators of the Inner Child Cards*) suggest of this image, the unopened presents and unfilled stockings represent a receptivity to the higher forces about to be birthed into our awareness. We wait, perhaps sitting in anticipation like the young child at her mother's knee, listening to a story, imagining all the details, enchanted by the inner drama that unfolds. Equally, we are the mother, contentedly reading by the glow of a candle's flame, sharing adventurous tales and treasured dreams with those we love.

The Lerners write, "The Nine of Crystals marks the period of life when the divine potential of the future is near. When you receive this card, realize that you are also meant to be the storyteller of your life. The story can be only as conscious as the one who tells it. What new theme, fairy tale, or adventure will you enter into next?"

In the contemplative stillness of winter, we may renew and recreate our relationship with the inner world. As we do so, our relationship with the outer world often shifts and opens to one of greater clarity, our expressions and actions suddenly more authentic. How we speak and what we say and do play a large role in determining who we are and what we might become. In this sense, we are meant to be the storytellers of our lives. At the same time, the story continually evolves around us -- surprising us, exciting us, challenging us. Mysterious? Yes. Magical and powerful? Most certainly. For not only are we part of the story, the story is us.