Let’s Chat: Living with the Seasons.

As I sit here and write this article, we are having one of the coldest days this winter. The weird thing is, it’s only -5 degrees Celsius. Usually by this time of year we are well into -10 to -20 c temps. This winter has been messed up and its really got me pondering. Will the lack of proper seasonal temps change animal, pest, bird, and bee patterns? Will it change garden zones and frost dates etc. What about seasonal mood disorders or people who thrive on going through the four seasonal changes?

I am one of those people that absolutely feels the shift in temperature, light, and energy that comes along with the changing of the seasons. The Fall to Winter transition that just passed, never happened here in my area. It wasn‘t anything I could sense or feel or enter. I felt like I was just waiting and waiting for fall to end and winter to arrive but it never did, and it still doesn’t feel like it has despite the cold temperatures and random bouts of snow.

Season Syncing means to synchronize our lives with the changing of the seasons. This would be everything from sleeping patterns to movement to food choices etc. It means returning to a more natural state of living instead of relying on technology and pre packaged everything to dictate what, when and how we live. Clearly we all can’t quit our jobs and return to the forest to live completely off the land, however we can learn to work with the seasons again, intuitively listening, connecting to the earth and living a lifestyle that integrates the healing aspects of nature into the present moment of our busy run down lives.

Our ancestors relied on Labor & Rest Cycles - the sun and weather dictated much of their lives and there was a balance between inside and outside work. In the current model we live in, technology dictates our lives and we have become so far removed from nature that it is scary. The constant hussle we have been conditioned to think is necessary for survival is flat out wrong. We don’t need to #momboss or pump out content every minute of every day. Social media algorithms would love it if we did and sure it might give you 2 seconds of fame but what are we trading for it? Humans were not meant to be switched on 24-7. We were designed and have sustained life by living with the seasons for well…as long as we’ve been on earth. Now I know the past is not something to glorify- but can we all just agree that they did get quite a few things right?

Society is more sick than ever and people are starting to wake up and question why. We’ve been fed lies and poison for far too long and it is time to return to a model of living that will regenerate us not kill us slowly, alone, in front of screens eating lab generated ”food”.

We are being called to return to or at least start to dabble into the idea that maybe slower, simple living is better living. That aligning our lives with the changing of the seasons is beneficial and paramount to our survival. You know what is not beneficial to our survival? Lab generated goop passed off as meat… hard fucking pass.

Ok, so were knee deep into this article, now lets talk about how to do it and the benefits of living with the seasons:

• Embrace the season you are in. If it’s cold - get outside and learn a winter sport or go for a walk/hike, just get outside.
• Notice everything while you are outside - how do you think the trees feel during winter? Do you ever wonder if they get cold? Have the birds returned to your area? Do they even leave? What does the sky look like? Empty, Cloud filled or worse? What do you hear? Birds, Critters? Etc Take mental notes and actually breathe nature into your soul.
• Prioritize Seasonal Food & Recipes - skip buying things like watermelon in the winter in you live in Canada - they’re flavourless and expensive. Buy local root vegetables if you don’t garden. Cook soups and stews and homemade breads. Eat earthy foods that feel heavy in the belly and help to warm and sustain us.
• Plan and Adjust your daily tasks - do you desire to sleep in a bit when the sun is slow to rise? Slow down during the cooler months and pick up a new hobby or journal. Winter is a great time for introspection. Spring is when we foster growth, it is a great time for personal change. Cold months = hibernate. Warm months = grow and flourish.
• Honor the Seasons - do you have a spiritual practice? If not, look into celebrating the Equinoxes/Solstices. It doesn’t need to be anything elaborate, simply making a seasonal homemade dish for your family and writing down what you’re grateful for is a wonderful place to start.
• Let go of control. Life is messy and it’s not perfect. Don’t feel like living seasonally has to be an all or nothing thing. The whole idea is to make a conscious effort to incorporate a more natural way of living back into our concrete & sterile lives.

Some benefits to living this way include but are definitely not limited to: improved physical and mental health, naturally slowing down in a fast paced life, living intentionally in alignment with your values, healthier relationships, better outlook on life, becoming more in tune with the earths natural cycles as well as your own, increased creativity, energy and stamina, better gut health, less or no more brain frog, more contentment with life and a better connection to yourself.

Animals and plants change with the seasons, they thrive and survive. They don’t rely on clocks, calendars, screens, governments or the news to tell them how to live. There has been something happening lately - people are waking up and longing for a more simple lifestyle, reverting to old fashioned ways, living with the land and remembering.

The first step is to make a conscious choice to live better. You don’t need property or a homestead to live with the seasons. All you need is a desire to connect to something beyond yourself and to allow for natural changes. Treat it as a daily practice, have your coffee outside in the morning and listen to nature, take it all in. If you don’t grow your own food - buy locally or from family and friends that do. Cook and eat in alignment with your growing area. The food is healthier and more full of nutrients when it is grown locally. It is also more ecologically conscious than shipping in fruits and veg from across the world. You‘ve just got to start. It will expand and grow from there.

I don’t think we were meant to have the world at our fingertips and while it sure does help to get my message out to you. I think we need to tip the scales back a bit and bring nature and her cycles back into our lives. There will always be technology, although at any given moment it can be taken away from us. If it does, wouldn’t you feel better knowing that you have an intimate relationship with the world around you - just outside your door or are you so far removed from the natural world it would be life shattering/altering? Just some food for thought.

Lets surrender to the inevitable changes and allow for natural periods of growth, rest, healing and reflection. This in turn will lead to connection, alignment, health and empowerment, for us as individuals, society and for Mother Earth.

Side Note* Pardon my ignorance on this topic, but If you live somewhere that doesn’t get snow or have four seasons, how do you think living without defining seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) effects your mood, health, your growing patterns, circadian rhythm etc? Comment below and let’s chat about your experiences.

~ K ~