January Newsletter
The Silent Night: Learning to Listen to Ourselves in the Dark
January is always a month of hope and resolutions. But if I’m honest, it often feels like an extension of everything unfinished from the previous year.
After the chaos of the last couple of months which include my husband’s heart surgery on the same day I turned 50, I’ve found myself questioning how we navigate transitions. And somewhere between teaching business English, creating my Gothic-Jungian calendar, and suspecting I might have ADHD, I’ve been drawn to one pressing question:
What happens when we stop filling every space with noise and let silence speak?
January’s Descent: Inner Night and Dreams
In my journey of exploring Gothic literature through a Jungian lens, I’ve come to see January as a time of darkness, not so much as threatening, but as a revealing one. It’s the month when winter’s stillness asks us to turn inward, to face the truths that emerge from the depths of our dreams.
That’s why January’s theme in my Gothic-Jungian Calendar was Inner Night and Dreams, an invitation to descend into the unconscious and embrace the wisdom hidden in our nocturnal wanderings.
But what happens once we’ve encountered these truths? Where do we go from here?
February: The Silent Night & Its Meaning
February, to me, is not about rushing into the light. It’s about allowing the echoes of the night to settle. It’s a month of silent illumination, not the blinding clarity of revelation, but the quiet knowing that comes from deep listening.
It’s easy to mistake silence for emptiness. We are conditioned to fear it, to fill it with distractions, productivity, or external validation. But what if silence isn’t the absence of something, but the presence of something subtle and profound?
This month, I invite you to sit with that question. To explore what silence feels like, not as a void, but as a presence.
Life Chaos & Mental Health: My Personal Experience
As I stepped into 2025, I expected things to settle. Instead, in a synchronous twist, I was offered a job teaching business English at a coworking space, something I hadn’t even been considering. This added another layer of movement to my already shifting reality.
Meanwhile, after my sister’s observations, I also started exploring the possibility that I have ADHD, leading me to rethink how I structure my time and energy.
All of this made February’s calendar theme feel even more relevant. I realised that silence isn’t just about external stillness, it’s about finding an inner space where clarity can emerge amidst life’s noise.
What Can Silence Teach Us?
I invite you to ask yourself:
- How do I relate to silence?
- Does it make me uncomfortable, or does it bring me peace?
- What happens when I stop fighting against the night and simply inhabit it?
For me, this journey is deeply connected to my dream world, which has always been my way of making sense of things, offering messages that my waking mind often overlooks.
Dreams help me notice patterns, symbols, and synchronicities that might otherwise get lost in the busyness of daily life. I’ve come to realise that connecting the dots between dreams and waking life is an area that isn’t explored enough, and it’s something I’m passionate about bringing into the conversation.
The Silent Night and Your Personal Journey
In January the calendar worked on the descent and now with February around the corner, I believe it’s the right month to work on integration. It’s the moment to stop chasing answers and start listening to the ones already whispering in the dark.
As I am starting to contemplate the new month, I’m reflecting on:
- What revelations did January’s inner night bring me?
- Are there subtle messages I’ve been ignoring?
- How do I want my inner journey to strengthen my relationships, both personal and professional?
I created my Gothic-Jungian Calendar as a tool for those of us who feel drawn to these transitions, and who want to navigate them with intention rather than fear, so feel free to have a look:
https://www.gothicalice.com/gothic-jungian-calendar-2025
I’d Love to Hear your Thoughts
Has silence ever taught you something unexpected? How are you planning to navigate February?
See you in the shadows,
Alice
