While the Earth Holds Its Breath
Embracing the Winter Season
Helen Moat’s pensive, enlightening nature book While the Earth Holds Its Breath
explores ways of coping with the grey darkness of winter across cultures and traditions.
Moat, who struggles with winter’s drizzle and grey mists, determined to “reinvent winter” through a “journey into the inward self.” During COVID-19 lockdowns, she began a gratefulness journal to survive the season, relishing in cooking Irish stews, pastries, and other foods evoking strong memories. She observed the “contours of the land” during hikes through the English countryside and developed acute focus on mindfulness, resisting the “unhealthy habit” of scrolling through disturbing global news about politics and climate change.
Moat’s subsequent two winters included trips to the Welsh Coast, Spain, and northern France to escape the grey. During an uplifting visit to a sunny orchard in Andalusia, Moat observed that she is drawn to snow on distant mountains as a “northern soul.” She reflected on foreign cultures with constructive views of winter too: In Finnish Lapland, for instance, people stay active and “embrace” being present during long polar nights; in Japan, harmony of the elements is emphasized in the acceptance of the four seasons. Moat strove for similar balance in her own life, confessing that her progress was halting and marked with backsliding.
The book contains evocative descriptions of nature, such as a magical early-winter scene illuminated with gossamer spider webs. Humor comes through Moat’s descriptions of hiking with her children through the mucky bog of the moorland, her boots disappearing into the mud. Her coping strategies are inspiring means of struggling with “winter blues,” and her depictions of food, nature, friendships, and travel are clear.
While the Earth Holds Its Breath is a rich, thoughtful memoir about meditating through the winter.
Reviewed by
Kristen Rabe
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
