All things in their right time: The power of seasons and cycles.

Human beings are all impacted by seasons and cycles to some extent, whether that’s annual seasons, monthly moon cycles, menstrual cycles or even simply the cycle of the sun in a day. The extent to which we are individually impacted varies but our animal bodies have evolved with cycles and, certainly for me, learning about my own cycles was life changing! Unfortunately, the modern-day world doesn’t so readily adapt and allow for nature's seasons and cycles, instead trying to override them, and my belief is that this impacts women – for whom monthly cycles feature for a large part of their life – far more significantly than men. It’s also my belief that this mismatch – the discord between the natural cycles going on in the inner and outer wild, and (patriarchal) modern day expectations of linearity – is one of the key contributors to the sense of disconnection we feel in ourselves and with nature.

At a basic level we all have an intuitive understanding of the relevance of cycles. Take an apple tree, for example. We wouldn’t expect this tree to fruit in winter, right? We know that apple trees blossom in spring, set fruit in summer, and provide apples in late summer through autumn. We don’t expect or force a tree to bloom in autumn, nor to provide apples in winter or spring. And yet…why do we expect it of ourselves?! Winter is cold and dark and every cell of our animal bodies wants to slow down and semi-hibernate…and yet it is (at least in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere) one of the busiest and (artificially) brightest times of the year.

Tuning into nature’s seasons and cycles, and your own inner seasons and cycles, is one of the most powerful ways I know to reconnect with nature and your own wild rhythm. To understand your fluctuating energy levels and to work with them, rather than fighting in a system that contradicts your own body wisdom. And, where we have no choice but to be a part of those same systems, to at least understand with compassion why we sometimes struggle, and to find ways to support ourselves more powerfully when we do.

This is in part why much of my work is centred around the seasons and cycles of the "Wheel of the Year". Each season has its own energy, and by bringing attention to that energy we can learn to work with, rather than against it. As we track through the year, I invite you to tune into the energy of each season, to notice the subtle shifts each turn of the wheel brings, to get curious about what is going on in your own inner landscape, and to notice how life shifts for you as a result. Many women find that by marking the year in this way, the year slows down and becomes more meaningful, and each season more enjoyable.

Don’t know where to begin? Join me for one of my upcoming online workshops or an in-person wild retreat and be gently yet powerfully guided in a seasonal exploration!