Let The Seasons Change You
Have you ever seen a phrase or an image and it strikes a chord right in your very being? Where, as soon as you see it, you can feel the resonance like a full body HECK YES, 1000%, no truer words hath ever been spoken?
This happened to me when I saw the phrase on this T-shirt in the Portland airport.
Let the seasons change you.
I was on my way home from my first of many weekends traveling to do more study of craniosacral therapy with Moving Mountain Institute. My colleague and I stopped into this little airport shop with really fun clothing, accessories, mugs, hair clips, jewelry, gifts. Seriously, so much cute and quirky stuff!
I saw this shirt and felt that ping of resonance saying “THIS. TRUTH.”
I didn’t purchase the shirt that day, but I couldn’t get it out of my head once I got home. I searched for it online and couldn’t find it.
(In fact, in writing this love note I found I had a started blog post draft back in March talking about this very topic and I was kicking myself for leaving the treasure behind!)
Thankfully, I was back in the Portland airport a couple weeks later and, as you can see, I scooped one up.
Now I get to regularly remind myself whenever I choose to wear this shirt to let the seasons change me, soften me, inform me, inspire me.
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I know I wax poetic about the seasons all the time and it’s one of my favorite things ever to host gatherings around the solstice and equinox transitions, so if you’ve been here in my sphere for awhile, this isn’t a new theme.
With capitalism and the push from productivity and constant growth front and center in the over-culture, it feels like we can’t talk about the pace of nature enough.
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When I was on a personal healing quest whilst living out in New York over ten years ago now, I read a book that opened my eyes to living life with the changing of the seasons and this has made a huge impact on how I like to live my life. Growing up in the Midwest, the switch in seasons is really apparent and there is already a natural change when things get to negative degrees, for example.
My siblings have spent some time living in Rwanda where the sun rises and falls at the same time - give or take 30 minutes - due to being so close to the equator. The seasons changing are a little less obvious there, which I find fascinating!
So despite already living in a climate that has very obvious season changes, I think what was enlightening to me was this idea of making it an intentional time to pause and check in with not only my external environment but also my internal world.
Yes, let’s pull out the thick wool socks and the crockpot. Let’s also see what ways my body wants to slow down and what from my mindset and energy needs to be composted with the veggie garden.
How can we let the pace, the nuance, the nudges of the natural world inspire us to live a little differently for a time?
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This coming Monday is the Fall Equinox. It’s the day where there’s equal parts day and night, where we get to take a moment to reflect on the balance between sunshine and shadow. Sunday is a new moon, so it’s also a beautiful time to set some intentions for the new season and cycle ahead.
Taking even five minutes to feel your feet on the ground, notice your breath, and ask your heart what it wants can be an impactful practice in letting the seasons change you.
As we move into autumn, I’m sending you lots of grounded, supported, creative, and soft energy.
XO!
JOURNAL PROMPTS:
-What perspective, memory, experience, or lesson from summer will you carry with you?
-What has worked really well for you recently? What’s not working so well for you?
-Is there something you are ready to compost, shed, or change right now? Is there something you’ve outgrown that you’re ready to release?
-What kind of nourishment is your body, mind, heart craving? How can you incorporate this type of care into your life that would feed and fuel you?
-What is one thing you are looking forward to over this next coming cycle?
SONG THAT’S STUCK IN MY HEAD: Clearly by Grace VanderWaal on Spotify
Clearly by Grace VanderWaal on YouTube
SONG FOR LETTING GO (PERFECT FOR A LIL BREATHWORK!): Let It Go by PYPR with Jordan Critz on Spotify
Let It Go by PYPR with Jordan Critz on YouTube