A Walk Through The Seasons

Before this year, of course, there were challenges and hard times—sometimes excruciatingly hard times—but never in my life had so many things, seemingly unrelated and random, hit in such quick succession. I had no control over these events and felt like a ball in a pinball machine ricocheting from one thing to another without intentionality or planning. During one of my yoga classes, as we were transitioning from Savasana, or corpse pose, to Parsva Savasana, or side fetal pose, the yoga instructor expressed that for every ending, there is a beginning. How does one find the new opening and not remain in the corpse pose through life? I invite you to take a moment and reflect on your life this past year. What are the themes that have risen? What are your stories? Are you listening to the lessons that are being set before you? The death of my mother hit me hard, harder than I expected. She was 90 when she passed and had outlived her siblings. She was ready to go to them, and she made her transition at home with her family around her—a beautiful way to pass on to the next life. Yet, being here on earth without her proved a bit difficult and somehow less fun. I began to consider how people move through these life events. With medication? Meditation? Therapy? All of these are viable options. To move forward in our lives, one must first find some peace and harmony. I began to reflect on where I was when I felt at peace, even during difficult times. The answer was immediate: working in the garden, out on a run, laying in a hammock, opening a window . . . in a nutshell, connecting to Mother Earth. That was the one constant in my life. I have always loved being in nature. Not only do I hug trees, but I also hug boulders so large that I cannot get my arms around them. My children collect rocks and stones for me as they travel, flowers and plants fill my house, and I always have a garden. Let me be clear: I am not a proper gardener or nature collector! So, what was it? Why did I seek out nature in this way? I realized that it makes me feel good; it calms the winds that blow inside my head and the storms that surge in my belly. So, yes, I feel very close to our Earth Momma, but was I taking advantage of her wisdom and how she expresses it to us every day? I began considering how she communicates with us through the seasons. The seasons are an invitation to pause, take stock, and reflect on our lives. But how in our busy lives do we do this? I decided to put it to the test. To spend the next couple of years strengthening and tapping into my inner wisdom through the teachings of the seasons. To begin trusting myself more. Although grief was its impetus, the design of this guide is to create balance and a grounding for your life, especially when things feel out of your control. I invite you to share this journey with me!