Moving through the rhythms of 2024
All about the whys and hows of living in rhythm with the seasons. Plus, an invitation to join me in following wheel of the year.
Hi! I’m Liz and welcome to the Wild Soul Collective. I write seasonal letters and record a monthly podcast for those of us who long to live a slow life in rhythm with nature. Thanks for stopping by! All posts are always free. Subscribe + join the Wild Soul Collective. We would love to have you here. ❍↟☽
Hello you,
I hope this letter finds you feeling calm and cozy as January begins to slowly unfold. We are right in the middle of the first new moon phase of this new calendar year, so all of those fresh vibes of new beginnings are swirling around us.
To be honest, I feel like January is unfolding extreeeemely slowly. But, then again, I feel that every single January. And, I am most certain that the energy of wintry January is meant to be a bit sleepy and diffused. It is, however, a month that feels never-ending. Like it belongs to some kind of otherworldly time and space continuum. Where time almost seems to stand still. And, even though January seems to be slowly passing by, each day this week has felt like everything except the slow, gentle moments of the January I experienced just a week ago. Time has moved slowly this week; at the same time, the days have been filled with chaos and intensity.
Perhaps it’s the energy of holiday hibernation that I am somehow longing for again. I am sure that all of the hibernating creatures of the earth are having a whole different experience of winter’s passing than I am during their restful, sleepy, half awake times buried in their caves or nests in the earth.
However, nothing really remains stagnant and unchanging, not even the plants and animals that are seemingly restful and peaceful.. The hibernating creatures have slowed down their systems, but they still wake and stir and breathe. The plants and trees are silently working to gather nutrients and grow their roots deep in the earth this winter. Right now, in the northern hemisphere, the light grows one second, one minute at a time, day by day, until it begins its retreat again in late June. And, for me, the slow, gentle easing into January is now mixed with the hectic, chaotic responsibilities of everyday life. Nothing is standing still. There is a balance to it all. And, everything in January is meant to move at a slower, more restorative, gentler, softer pace. But, have no fear, things are always still moving.
In this letter, I don’t want to focus on January, however. I want to look at the cycle and energy of the entire year. Mostly, I want to share with you my way of living in rhythm with the seasons. Why I choose to live this way. What it offers to my daily life. How I move through the year. And lastly, I want to invite you to join me this year in celebrating the seasons together.
The natural rhythms and cycles
There is no denying that nature is cyclical. Even if we don’t pay attention to it, science makes it impossible to ignore. The earth circumvents the sun. The seasons shift and unfold from one to the other - and then back again. The moon changes in the night sky - sometimes full, sometimes a fingernail sliver, sometimes missing from sight, but always full again. Weather patterns come and go, and come again. Flowers bloom and wither; but come spring, they bloom again. Tides of the seas rise and fall. Animals hibernate, hunt, scavenge, reproduce, die, and return back to the earth. Stars move through the sky that we see. The sun rises and sets, only to do it all over again the next day.
Even if we don’t look closely to pay close attention to the earth and the sky, it is easy to see, if we simply look out the window, that nature changes and cycles over and over again. Birth - death - rebirth. Again and again. Cycling, evolving, changing; and yet, staying true to her rhythms.
Why I live in rhythm with the seasons
There is also no denying that we are part of nature. We live and breathe and move by the cycles of nature. Our bodies renew, release, and restore themselves. Cells, blood, water. We shift between sleep and action, wake with the sun and sleep by the moon. Our bodies ebb and flow, like the seas. Our systems cycle and change.
The most natural way of life, to me, is to embrace the truth that I am not separate from nature, but a part of it. But, I need to do more than just recognize this truth. I believe that I need to align my life with nature. I need and want to embrace the rhythms, the movements, the energies of the earth and the cosmos as a part of my my life, as a way to live my life.
I want to feel and hear and intuit and discover the messages that nature shares with me. Trees talk with each other through their root systems. Is it not possible, then, that the trees, the birds, the waters, the moon, the seasons all have something to say to me as well? I want to learn the deep secrets and ancient wisdom from the stable, constant ways of the earth.
What seasonal living brings to my everyday life
More than anything, living in rhythm with nature brings me peace. I find a way to slow my pace and I learn to trust the process. I am more present and aware of the world around me - people, animals, leaves, flowers, birds, waters. I see and feel and listen and learn.
On a deeper level, seasonal living brings meaning to my everyday life. As I mark and observe the ancient agricultural, seasonal, and cosmic movements of the earth and sky, I celebrate with simple, quiet rituals and traditions that remind me that I am a part of something much bigger than just me. And that leaves me feeling a deep sense of awe and gratitude.
The complete fullness of life carries both grief and love, light and dark, life and death. The rhythms and seasons of the year comfortingly remind me that life is cyclical and in constant transition. No moment, no season lasts. Like the moon, our lives move through phases of waxing and waning. Like the seasons, we surrender and release, but we are also reborn and thrive.
For me, there is comfort and wisdom in these rhythms and cycles. And, with each passing day, I reflect on the waxing and waning seasons of my own life. As I drop into this natural rhythm, I discover that I am more present in the moment than I have ever been. And that brings me a sense of calm hope in every situation.
Following the rhythms heal, nourish, and make me whole.
How I move through the rhythms of the year
I read an astronomical website recently that described the seasons as a result of the intensity of the sun waxing and waning throughout the year. This is what causes the changing seasons (how close and where we are in relation to the sun throughout the year) and a powerful explanation of how celestial mechanics set the tone for life on Earth.
I love the science and theory and history that give an better understanding of the seasons, the earth, and the cycles of nature. I need and want to know the whys and hows. But, I also need a way to bring all of that down into my everyday life. I crave a practical way to bring the magic into my everyday life. And that’s where spirituality, myth, rituals, traditions, and community come in.
For years people have created ways to find meaning and purpose in life. Ways to explain and understand what is happening and why.
The wheel of the year is an ancient tool of the annual cycles of seasons and festivals marking the passage of time. There are also liturgical cycles that mark holy and sacred days in religions, such as Christianity. All helping people to find the deeper meaning, a sense of community, and an understanding of their experiences in life.
For as long as I can remember, I have followed a rhythm throughout the year - even if I had no idea that was what I was doing. I celebrated holidays, cherished quiet, mundane times, observed sacred traditions, and felt my own moods shift with the month and the season. It was always as natural as breathing for me. It just made sense. It was just my way of being in the world.
As the years passed, I studied religion and the liturgical calendars; then, later, I found myself embracing my wild, magical soul, expanding my understanding of myth and spirituality. I had always felt connected to the mystery and wisdom of nature; but, as my desire deepened, I began to unearth an mystical, earthy, practical, spiritual way of life.
A way move through the seasons and the year by not only observing and celebrating the changing seasons; but a way in which I find meaning and message and wisdom for my soul right in the middle of my life. A spiritual, cosmic, mystical way that is also so very real and tangible. A way that inspires my everyday life and that connects me with, well, everything. A way that reminds me of the hope, the process, and the slow unfolding nature of all of life.
And so, a few years ago I created my own wheel of the year as a way to capture and feel and drop into the energies and moods and inspiration of the rhythms of the seasons. This is what I use to mark the changing of the seasons and the passage of time. To bring meaning and depth to my life. To create a contemplative, almost monastic, slow, simple, rhythmic life of hope, communion, and presence. And to trust the ever unfolding process of the cycles of life.
In 2024 it is my hope that you will follow the rhythms of the year with me. Together we will mark the passage of time, discover the message of each season, remember the ancient ways, and celebrate simple rituals for the festivals and sacred days as they come and go. I truly believe that moving through the rhythms of the year creates a deeper, more communal, more spiritual way of living. Creating a life that is not only inspired, but that is also much more grounded and authentic and real.
Welcome, my friend, to move around and through the unfolding seasons of the year, here as a part of the Wild Soul Collective. Together, we will unearth the mood and the message of each season, one month at a time. We will each find a rhythm that brings us back to who we are meant to be and how we are meant to live.
Let’s begin this journey together, surrounded by this new moon, new start energy. I cannot wait to travel through the seasons with you. What amazing discoveries, deep wisdom, and magical moments we have ahead.
xoxo. liz.
I always feel so connected to you and Spirit when reading your words. Thank you <3
My goodness, Gay! If my words connect you to Spirit in any tiny way, then I am simply overwhelmed with gratitude and humility. That is so very kind of you to say. And I’m also super glad that you feel connected to me through my words too. What a dream. xo