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Seasonal Writing
Essays and reflections for living in relationship with the natural world.
A growing collection of writing on the Five Elements, folklore, mythology, astrology, and the changing seasons, tracing conversations between nature, psyche, culture, and the ways we live.
Winter Solstice
What fear requires most is the conditions that allow the nervous system to remember its safety. The three dark months of winter are a gift of retreat and repose because a healthy relationship with fear does exist. Here we remember that we can trust the river. That we will find the sea.
The Winter Solstice
While in the dark quiet of such, deep listening rises for the hearing, and so the way to the deep caverns of our Inner Light—bright, luminous and steady, no matter the state of the outer world.
The Bone Path:
As the veils thin with Samhain's descent, we are called to walk the Bone Path — a threshold walk of composting, remembrance, and mythic stillness. Guided by the fierce wisdom of the Crone and the slow silence of winter, this is a time to feel what’s falling away, and honour the unseen transformations that stir in the dark.
Embracing the Shadow
More than an agricultural cycle, Samhain represents a threshold energy guiding us into the womb of Winter—a space of deep rebirth as much as an acknowledgement of death. Here, we meet the Dark Feminine, as the Water element thickens in nature as much as it does in the deepest marrow of us.
Farewelling Winter
As we enter the final weeks of Winter’s Yin cycle, we reflect on the intense inner work and transformation that has shaped our hearts and minds. This period of introspection prepares us for the potential and renewal that Spring brings, allowing us to open fully to the new season's energy.
Exploring the Watery Depths
The Water Element symbolizes both calm and abysmal depths, guiding us inward during Winter's introspective cycle. Through metaphors like Alice's fall down the rabbit hole, we learn to embrace the uncertainty of self-discovery and find clarity in the depths of our own being.
The Water Element
Water serves as the center of life, bridging life and death, balancing extremes in nature, and guiding us to humility during Winter. Its slow, steady presence helps us reflect, align with purpose, and embrace the calm sea of balance and wisdom as we navigate life's challenges.
Finding True Stillness
Within the Yin energy of Winter lies access to profound stillness and openness. Like a lake reflecting the clouds, this season invites us to embrace quiet and clarity, creating the space for new potentials that will emerge in Spring.
Embracing Obstacles as Growth
When hardship, obstacle or defeat make us small it can feel like the very winter of things. This is a Water Element message of optimism without judgment, and the silver lining we have yet to see. On the pathway of the seasons and the Taoist way we discover; it is all good.
Embracing the Water Element
Winter’s wisdom in the Water Element invites us to live without boundaries, embracing the unknown and travelling light. This season teaches us to let go of the past and open to new possibilities with the freedom of a wanderer, discovering growth in discomfort and adapting to what lies ahead
Introducing the Water Element
Of all the Five Elements, Water is the hardest to truly know. Governing the kidney and bladder channels in the back of the body, Water holds a mystical depth that can’t be fully grasped, urging us to surrender, trust, and embrace its transformative flow
Autumn's Lessons
Autumn teaches us to embrace the lessons of loss, death, and divorce as we prepare for winter’s rest. Through Taoist principles and the Metal Element, this article explores how grief leads to deeper self-awareness and renewal, making way for spring’s new beginnings.
Crone meets Maiden
As Winter and Spring approach their seasonal frontiers, we meet the merger of Spring’s youth and Winter’s experience. This is the cusp of great potential, where the Crone and Maiden greet each other in anticipation of the changes ahead.
From Water to Wood
At this seasonal crossover, we meet Wind’s gentle persistence and unrelenting influence. Like a long rope, Wind helps us draw from the deep well of Water within, guiding us to replenishment and inner clarity.
Late Winter Light
Late winter reminds us that completion is the beginning of renewal. As winter’s light wanes, we are called to remain vigilant and attentive, preparing for the creative energy of spring while grounded in winter’s wisdom.