Newsletter 5 - december

Healing, timing and the invitation of these December weeks

Sometimes life takes an old wish off the shelf, dusts it off and whispers: now is the time. That’s exactly how it feels for me to be here in Australia. I arrived the day before yesterday, and my whole system is still wide open with emotion, wonder and gratitude. This is something I’ve wanted since I was very young, but life always unfolded differently. There were reasons not to go, other paths that needed to be walked first, timing that simply wasn’t right. And then suddenly, everything aligned. No pushing, no struggle, just a natural click of circumstances. And there I was, standing on Australian ground.

My first impression is overwhelmingly positive. The spaciousness here is almost physical, as if your body immediately breathes deeper and relaxes more. The nature is so breathtaking that it makes me quiet. The birds with their strange sounds and colours, the endless ocean, the calm, the clean air, the kindness in how people meet you. Australia feels generous, open and incredibly welcoming.

I’m staying with friends who welcomed me with so much warmth. From their home I can explore, slowly, step by step, at exactly the pace that feels right. I don’t feel any need to figure out what the purpose is here – I can simply follow the flow. The places that call me, the people I meet, the direction I move in. It all reveals itself when I’m quiet and listening.

And honestly, I’m enjoying it deeply. The freedom, the fact that a long-held desire has finally become reality, and the sense that life knows exactly when you’re ready for something.

The darker days before Christmas

While I sit here in Australia under the bright UV light, feeling the sun almost tangible on my skin, I’m very aware that in the Netherlands the days are growing shorter. The darker days before Christmas have arrived – that time when everything slows down, the light fades, and people naturally turn inward. It’s the season of blankets, candles, warm drinks, cocooning, and seeking comfort and closeness with one another. A time that invites introspection, contemplation and real connection.

A friend of mine, originally from the southern hemisphere as well, sent me a message saying: wow, those long dark nights in Europe take some getting used to. And in that moment I felt how differently my system is calibrated right now. Because as wonderful as it is here, I do miss that cosy winter feeling around Christmas. That gentle atmosphere of turning inward, being together, pausing for a moment. The rhythm of darkness and stillness that almost automatically brings you into reflection.

The weeks before Christmas invite you to release, look back and soften. To pause and feel what this year has brought you. What you’ve carried. Where you’ve grown, and where you held yourself back. What you tried, lost, won and discovered. It’s a kind of inner cleansing before new intentions, new light and the first steps toward 2026 can take shape.

I want to gently invite you to take small moments for yourself during these weeks. Step away from the rush, the obligations, the constant doing. Take a few minutes to feel what is ready to be completed, what wants to soften, what may already be prepared to be released. You don’t have to change anything instantly. Simply pausing with yourself is often enough to open the door to clarity.

This season is not about rushing, but about spaciousness. Not about planning, but about listening. Not about striving, but about being. And maybe that’s the magic of this time: that you can meet yourself in your calmest, most honest form before stepping into a new year. Let this be your gentle transition into 2026.

A small ritual

And perhaps it helps to give this period of reflection a simple ritual. Nothing complicated or grand, but something soft and grounding that brings you back to yourself. December has a timeless quality – it invites us to pause, thank the year, and make space for what’s already quietly approaching.

For example, you might take a few minutes in the evening to bring a little light back into your own rhythm. Light a single candle and sit with it for a moment. Let your shoulders drop, feel your breath, don’t force anything. Gaze at the flame and let your thoughts move naturally. Ask yourself, very softly: what wants to be completed this year? What can be released? What is allowed to stay? You don’t have to think or steer; listening is enough. Sometimes a word, a feeling or an insight appears. Sometimes there is silence. Both are perfect.

If you want, you can write something down afterwards. A few words, a sentence, a small note — not a to-do list, but a gentle marker for yourself. A small reminder that you paused. That you saw what is moving inside you. That you said goodbye to what no longer belongs.

Then blow out the candle as a sign that the moment is complete. You let the old go, you close without heaviness or drama. Clear, present, soft. And tomorrow you can light the candle again if that feels good. It can become your daily anchor in these weeks — a simple way to settle yourself and feel where you stand before 2026 arrives.

In the midst of December’s busyness, this creates small openings for yourself. And those openings make all the difference when stepping into the new year with clarity rather than pressure.

Sessions and availability

If you’d like to book a reading session during this period while I’m here in Australia, you can simply use the online booking widget. I’m working from a different energy here — surrounded by spaciousness, nature and stillness — and I can feel how this influences the depth and clarity of my sessions. The readings are, as always, grounded, clear and lovingly confronting where needed. Together we look at what is moving in your undercurrent, the patterns you’ve been carrying, the old layers that are ready to be released, and the next step on your soul’s path.

I’ve opened most of my availability in the Dutch mornings. It’s ten hours later here, which means your morning is my evening. If you’re a morning person, that aligns beautifully. You can choose any time that suits you in the online agenda. If you’re more of an evening person and prefer a session later in the day, just send me an email. We’ll find a time that works for both of us. [email protected].

These weeks are particularly supportive for a reading, simply because you’re already naturally looking back, clearing out and sensing what wants to shift before the new year begins. A single session can be enough to gain clarity, release an old story or reconnect with what truly feels right for you. If something in you is asking for attention and you no longer want to carry it alone, you’re warmly welcome.

Blog: Opening portals and healing continents

In my newest blog I share about the profound calling I’ve felt toward Australia for years. For a long time, I could only work there in the dream world: lucid nights on Uluru, conversations with the shamans of the land, and releasing old energetic layers around the Aboriginal people, their voice and their power. I kept hearing that it wasn’t time yet to come in person — that I was meant to support from a distance until the field shifted. And then, a few weeks ago, I finally heard the words I’d been waiting for: it’s time to go. Now that I’m here, I can feel that same field moving again. What exactly I’ll be doing will reveal itself naturally, but one thing is clear: this land called, and the timing is perfect.

What’s moving in me these days

What fills my days right now is a beautiful mix of layers: the warmth and connection with the friends I’m staying with, gently exploring this part of New South Wales, doing readings with people from both the Netherlands and Australia, and staying open to my own emotional landscape and the flow that leads me. I can feel the subtle healing this land is asking for, and the movement that creates in me. And honestly — beyond all of that — I’m simply enjoying, enjoying and enjoying even more.

Closing

Before I finish, I want to leave you with this: wherever you are and whatever phase you’re in, you can always trust your own timing. Sometimes life asks you to turn inward, sometimes to travel, sometimes to pause, and sometimes to take a new step. For me, this period feels like all of those movements coming together. I hope this newsletter invites you to feel your own rhythm, honour your own desires and give yourself the space to land in what feels true for you. That, in the end, is the deepest form of healing there is.

With warmth, Hilde