Life’s Cyclical Nature
An important realisation I’ve had in my life recently is how powerful cyclical living really is for me.
I’ve started a practice that is really working for me on many levels. I’ve been acknowledging the solstices and times when the sun makes significant seasonal changes, also called the Wheel of the Year. Since June 21st, Winter solstice, I’ve been lighting a candle every day, turning on my fairy lights and made a garland out of a seasonal fruit (orange) and hung it up in my living room.
These three small details and actions have added up to enjoying winter ALOT more than I have in the past. I feel comfort from the fairy lights and they remind me that life can be magical. The lighting of the candle makes me think of light and how grateful I am for it as well as slowing me down. Making and creating something out of nature with my hands…well that always makes me happy. A calm, content kind of happiness which keeps giving each time I rest my eyes on it.
Looking at my greatest teacher, the land and everything it provides and how it is living, it seems that everything is having a bit of a rest at this time. There’s not a lot of growing going on above ground, so I’m not putting too much pressure on myself to ‘do’ anything. It’s really helping me to reflect on doing for doing’s sake. I’m trying out being for being’s sake and it helps me breathe deeper and longer, spend more time patting the dogs and delightfully, I’ve felt like cooking.
This all came about as I was wanting to connect more with my own ancestral knowledge after all the cultural appropriation of my new age journey in my 20’s! I looked up my ancestry and it’s pretty much mostly Scottish. I remember reading somewhere that it’s good to eat like your ancestors as that’s better for your digestion. After eating porridge for too many days in a row and trying Haggis, I opted for the celebration and acknowledgement of the change in seasons that my ancestors most likely did. There’s wisdom in our ancestral knowledge of how to live with the seasons and cycles of life and the land. I’m curious to experiment with more of that knowledge.
