For most of my life, I didn’t really consider the seasons.
I EXPECTED MY ENERGY AND OUTPUT TO BE THE SAME YEAR-ROUND.
To be fair, I was living in “Sunny California” where it never snowed, and the sun was shining most of the year. 🌻
I remember as a kid wondering why the strawberries were sour during some of the year… It never occurred to me that they were out of season.
Then, I moved to Mexico and everything finally clicked for me (at 32 years old). Suddenly I discovered that there is magic to tapping into seasonal energy. ✨
What Does Seasonal Living Mean & Why’s It Making a Comeback?
SEASONAL LIVING MEANS CULTIVATING AN AWARENESS OF THE CHANGING ENERGIES OF THE YEAR AND ADJUSTING YOUR BEHAVIOR ALONGSIDE IT.
It means trusting that the seasons will change as they always have, and planning for tweaks in your lifestyle depending on the season.
Human beings have lived by the seasons for centuries and doing so is second-nature to us, even if we’ve forgotten how.
When you decide to embrace seasonal living, you start to mirror Mother Earth and you stop feeling like you are working against nature.
So What is the Energy of Each Season? (Keeping it Simple)
Spring: the Time for New Beginnings
SPRING COMES AFTER THE DARKNESS AND COLD OF WINTER.
In the stretch between Christmas and the start of Spring, many of us struggle to feel joy. Some of us even felt depressed.
The return of the sunshine in Spring brings hope and happiness with it.
In Spring, we literally plant new seeds with faith that they’ll grow and bring us abundance and nourishment. 🌱
This is the time to look to the future and think about what we really want to achieve in life, and then plant some seeds for those things.
We air out our houses, we donate items that no longer serve us, and we welcome in the warmth of the Sun.
Summer: the Time for Joy and Connection
WITH THE SUN IN FULL SWING, THIS IS THE TIME TO HAVE FUN.
We go on hikes, we swim in pools, we visit lakes, we camp, we take afternoon naps, and we BBQ food outside and host our friends for dinner.
School is out for kids because the middays are too hot to focus on anything.
Summer is a time to exist, not think.
As a kid, we loved summer because it meant time to be a kid. No homework, no expectations, just time to be with your family and hobbies.
Even as an adult, the playful energy of Summer remains available to all of us!
Fall: the Time of Abundance and Release
FALL IS WHEN WE ENJOY THE HARVEST FROM ALL OF THE SEEDS WE PLANTED IN SPRING.
Whether we planted literal seeds for food or figurative seeds for manifestations, this is the season to give thanks for the fruits of our labor.
As the old adage goes: you reap what you sow. Autumn is the season of reaping.
We’re approaching the end of the year now, and there is a natural death cycle in the works. Vines are drying up, leaves are dropping, and crops are finishing.
The air starts to become crisp, signaling the coming of Winter.
We take the time to enjoy what we’ve created and let go of what cannot be held forever.
Winter: the Time for Rest and Integration
YOU’VE ALREADY DONE THE WORK, NOW WINTER IS THE TIME TO REST.
In the past, farmers hustled Spring through Autumn in order to have enough food to last them through the cold winters.
The holidays of Winter naturally bring us inward and connect us with our loved ones around the living room. We gather, we eat, and we spend time being merry together.
Winter isn’t the time to set lofty goals and act ambitiously, it’s the time to be fully present with where we currently are.
Throughout Winter, we allow integration of what we have experienced through the calendar year. Then, we allow little tendrils of wanting to start creeping up into our consciousness.
In the New Year – whether you start it right on Jan 1 or closer to Imbolc (February 1) – you can start to dream about the life you’d like to call into reality.
The key here in Winter is to be patient. This isn’t the time to do. This is the time to dream and trust that all is coming to you in good time.
How to Start a Seasonal Living Practice (10 Tips)
Take the tips that resonate, leave the ones that don’t. You know best.
10 WAYS TO START LIVING SEASONALLY
- Familiarize the Witches Wheel of the Year (8 Seasonal Festivals)
- Jot down 3-5 words that align with how each of the 4 seasons look where you live.
- Write down the holidays that you love and currently celebrate.
- Speak to a grandparent or elder about seasonal habits from their childhood.
- Set up a seasonal altar (keep it simple)
- Brainstorm a small ritual to signal and celebrate each changing season
- Start a Grimoire or special journal to document your learning
- Read season-specific books and watch season-specific movies
- Host 1 small get together each season, themed intentionally for the time of year
- Sign up for the Candlelight Collective’s newsletter for Seasonal Content 💗⬇️
Welcome to this Space! I’m so Glad You’re Found It, and I Hope You Stick Around.
Xx Bri