We recently celebrated Winter Solstice here in the US, and a new calendar year is just around the corner. We’re about to see a whole lot of messaging about getting back to the hustle and crushing our 2025 goals. However, Nature has just entered her season of rest, so if you don’t feel like bursting into life right now, it’s to be expected! Living with the seasons reminds us to work with Earth’s natural rhythms and gives us a chance to enter the new year more gently.
Though change is constant, continual growth, in the way our capitalist society idolizes it, is absolutely not how life works.
The notion that we humans are separate from the natural cycles of life is ridiculously arrogant. Underneath all the decorations of modern life, we’re just self-aware animals with incredible brain power. In this post, we’ll explore the natural energies of each season and how tuning into them can help us move through the years with more ease while still working toward what we want to create in our lives.
What does living with the seasons mean?
The calendar we follow is already based on the Earth’s journey around the Sun, but it arbitrarily divides the rest of the year into months with 30-31 days (except February). This path our planet takes is why we have our four seasons—Spring Summer, Winter, and Autumn. Each of them has its own pace and highlights a different stage of the life cycle.
Living seasonally simply means that we observe what’s happening in Nature during each period and bring that energy into our own lives and work.
Much of the world has lost touch with the natural rhythms of life as the year shifts from season to season. Emphasis is placed on external growth above all, but in Nature, there are always seasons of rest, release, and rejuvenation, which our modern, industrialized societies often deem unnecessary, wasteful, or even lazy.
When we live with the seasons, we choose to honor all the stages of life instead of focusing all our attention on only one or two.
In a world that constantly tells us to be more, do more, and consume more, slowing down and doing less can feel wildly uncomfortable! It goes against everything we’ve been taught, and maybe that’s a good thing. After all, if we take the time to pause, rest, and reflect, we may find ourselves asking questions those in power don’t want us asking. 😈
What are the benefits of living with the seasons?
When we choose to live seasonally, we intentionally make time for the rest, reflection, release, and rejuvenation that our human bodies, minds, and spirits desperately need. This makes it easier to avoid burning out and helps us reconnect with our wild roots. We are part of Nature, after all.
Even if the work you do expects the same from you every day, living with the seasons can still help you better manage your time and energy.
Over the years, living with the seasons has brought more ease into my daily life and work. I can embrace busier seasons that require more activity and effort because I know there will be time for rest and recovery. In turn, the periods with more downtime and quiet build my reserves so I’m able to make it through the busier times without burning out or losing my damn mind!
Living seasonally helps us remember that we are not just production machines to be used up and discarded but part of Nature with our own cycles and rhythms. The way I see it, choosing to center the natural world in our own lives rather than the societal norms we’ve been programmed with is its own act of rebellion! 😎
Living with the Seasons: Winter Energy
The season begins with Winter Solstice. It’s the longest night of the year when Earth reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. The day typically falls between December 19-22 in the Northern Hemisphere and June 19-22 in the Southern Hemisphere.
This is when Nature rests. The world is quieter, and the nights are longer. Life turns inward to nourish itself through the cold, knowing the flurry of activity will resume soon. Trees go dormant, storing nutrients in their roots for use in the Spring. Bears hibernate, and birds rest in their winter homes.
Winter reminds us that all life begins in the dark. From seeds planted deep in the soil to new life growing in the womb, darkness is essential.
In our modern society, taking a whole season to shut down isn’t realistic, but we can also use this time to slow down and look inward. We can focus on nourishing ourselves in ways that are challenging in the more active seasons.
Working with Winter energy:
❄ Focus on the practices, activities, and rituals that nourish your body, mind, and spirit.
❄ Take time to reflect on the last year — what you’ve learned, how you’ve grown, and what reserves you’ll need in the coming seasons.
❄ Start (or update) a journaling or meditation practice that allows you to take care of your inner world.
❄ Start (or update) a healthy nighttime routine that will help with better rest.
❄ Set intentions for the projects, goals, and activities want to engage during the coming year(s) and map out the steps you’ll take. This is the season for planning!
❄ Spend time dreaming and visualizing those intentions coming to life.
Living with the Seasons: Spring Energy
Spring begins at the Vernal (Spring) Equinox. This is one of the two times in the year when day and night are equal lengths. It happens between March 19-22 in the Northern Hemisphere and September 19-22 in the Southern Hemisphere.
This is the time for new beginnings, in the same way many view January 1st. Buds are popping on the trees, and we plant the seeds we want to harvest later. Bears crawl out of their dens with new cubs, and nests are full of baby birds.
This is when Nature launches her new projects and focuses on providing the food and care they need to grow strong and resilient.
In terms of productivity and intentions, this is the perfect time to launch your own projects or try new activities. We come out of hibernation and engage with the world around us again. The days are getting longer, and you can work with that increasing energy!
Working with Spring energy:
🌱 Focus on practices, activities, and rituals that help you feel alive and energized!
🌱 Take the time to get outside and reconnect with the natural world after the cold and quiet of winter.
🌱 Start (or continue) engaging with supportive communities and friends. None of us can do this life completely on our own, and we’ll need help to reach our big goals!
🌱 Start (or update) routines that will help you build the reserves of energy and strength you need for the busier seasons. This can be anything from a creative practice to intentionally moving your body.
🌱 Begin taking concrete steps toward the intentions you set during Winter.
🌱 Make time to explore the ideas you were dreaming about during the darkness. Plant the seeds and see what sprouts–not everything will bloom, so play and see what feels awesome!
Living with the Seasons: Summer Energy
Summer Solstice marks the beginning of the season. Earth has reached its maximum tilt toward the Sun, and we enjoy the longest day of the year. It falls between June 19-22 in the Northern Hemisphere and December 19-22 in the Southern Hemisphere.
This is the season for nurturing what sprouted during Spring. The days grow longer and warmer. We see the new life from Spring begin to mature. Trees leaf out and use all that sunlight to fuel their growth. Bears frolic in the shade, and birds cool themselves in the water. The babies are getting bigger and learning how to fend for themselves now.
Life is incredibly active this time of year! We see the seeds planted during Spring blossom and show signs of the abundance we’ll harvest later.
We humans are also more active. It’s the season for barbecues, concerts, outdoor adventures, and travel. Just as we tend to our gardens, it’s time to nurture the projects we want to continue to bear fruit for years to come. The days are at their longest, and we’ll need the extra energy we gathered during Winter and Spring to sustain us through this busy season.
Working with Summer energy:
☀ Focus on practices, activities, and rituals that help you sustain your energy and feel grounded. This is the season that requires us to put in the work to ensure a bountiful harvest!
☀ Prioritize spending time outdoors. Reconnect with nature in whatever ways feel good for you — go for a hike, work in the garden, play games with loved ones!
☀ Grow your connections and invest in the communities that you want to share in the rewards of your labor and make the work more fun!
☀ Review your routines, activities, and practices. Continue ones that support your physical, mental, and emotional strength and energy. Let go of any that do not.
☀ Notice which of the intentions you set during Winter show signs of life and which of these you want to continue growing.
☀ Focus on nurturing the projects and activities that feel good and set aside the ones that didn’t sprout or feel out of alignment now.
Living with the Seasons: Autumn Energy
Autumn kicks off with the Autumnal Equinox, the other time of year when the day and night are equal. It occurs between September 19-22 in the Northern Hemisphere and March 19-22 in the Southern Hemisphere.
This is the season of harvest and release. Much of what was planted in Spring and nurtured through Summer reaches its peak. Gardens are ready to harvest, and many of the Spring babies have reached maturity. Seasonal plants begin to die off as the days get colder.
The flurry of activity from Spring and Summer has produced an abundance, but not everything can be carried forward.
Nature begins her preparations for a season of rest. As the sun wanes, our tree friends begin to pull their energy inward and shed their leaves. Bears fatten up for hibernation, and birds get ready to migrate to their Winter homes.
This is the time to review where we’re spending our time and energy. As the days get darker, it’s time to start stepping back and slowing down again. Tidy up the house, clean up the garden, trim down the to-list, and put less on the calendar.
Working with Autumn energy:
🍂 Focus on practices, activities, and rituals that help you to relax and feel rejuvenated after all the energy expended in Spring and Summer.
🍂 Get outside to enjoy the cooler temperatures and fall colors. Soak in the waning daylight as you prepare to settle in for Winter.
🍂 Gather with the people and communities that supported you during the rest of the year for celebrations and sharing of the season’s bounty!
🍂 Focus on releasing the projects, practices, and relationships that no longer serve. Integrate what you’ve learned and allow it to be fuel for future growth.
🍂 Take stock of the intentions that have come to fruition and what will continue growing in the year(s) to come. Notice what has run its course and is ready to be released.
🍂 Start (or update) routines that focus on integration, grounding, and restoration. Begin to call back your energy and prepare for rest.
Wrapping it Up
Look, I fully understand that in our modern society, which expects the same output and energy every single day, it can be challenging to opt out of the rat race and choose a different way of being. However, this doesn’t have to be all or nothing or even all at once. Perhaps you choose one item from the list for each season and start there.
Consider this your invitation to break from societal norms and establish a rhythm that feels best for you. However you mark your year or choose to engage the seasons, I encourage you to check in with the part of you that is still connected to the natural world.
There’s no right or wrong way to go about this. Trust yourself and what resonates for you!
Tell me what you think in the comments! Is this an idea that interests you? Do you already do this in your own life? Do you have other suggestions for ways to harness each season’s energy? What challenges do you anticipate as you try to flow with the seasons?
