“The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature to Nature.” – Joseph Campbell

I love to celebrate the holidays. I love all the holidays, including the lesser ones like May Day, Groundhog Day, St. Patrick’s Day and so on. Usually the celebration entailed buying gifts, cards, flowers, decorating and the like. But recently I’ve changed the way I celebrate the seasons, I follow them. Now I pay more attention to the shifting of the seasons each day, and feel its effects within me. I notice when the days get longer or colder, or the waxing and waning of the moon. I can’t lie, I still celebrate. The gifts have decreased, now it’s e-cards, but what I’ve gained is more ritual. The ritual of the days, of the different seasons, of the in between times. With that comes more awareness of how I fit into the changing of the seasons, my moods, drives, desires. Spring’s rebirth in me, the inner contemplation of winter.

It took me a long time to make this connection. That I wasn’t just celebrating a day out of the year, but everyday. Each season has a purpose and the whole cycle was a process that was happening within me as well as the outer world. It’s not just the seasons changing, I’m changing as well through the turning of the year. When I started really noticing day by day the changes in weather, cooler mornings or shorter days, I felt more connected to my surroundings, to nature, and to myself.

This is a tangible something I’d been searching for to connect my inner life to the outer life that surrounds me. The calmness of a black summers night, the mystery of walking under a full moon, or the lattice work of barren trees against a cold blue sky. There is a natural rhythm of nature that is replicated within me. It has ended up being this magic elixir for my soul. It has put me back together in a profound way. It has given me my place in the cosmos. I think there is magic in deeper awareness and appreciation of the life around us, of nature’s gifts.

I celebrate the turning of the seasons with a ritual that connects the outer rhythms of nature to my inner rhythm. There is real peace and purpose in diving deep into the season, and honoring the lessons it teaches. I let the rhythms of nature and life permeate me I partake of their meaning and blessings. Whether it is moving at a slower pace in the heat, taking more hot baths in the winter or building a fire at night in the fall. All of these simple things enrich the living of my life.

I pay attention more. I am grateful more. Every season has its magic and I try to connect to it, and incorporate it into my life. Placing my attention on it brings it more to life for me, brings more fullness of its meaning into my life, and creates a greater connection. There is more of a connection to nature, to myself, to those around me, and to the world at large. Now that’s a gift worth receiving.

Here’s wishing you the magical moments of everyday living and discovery of your own inner seasons.

kb