A lot of stress is the result of the perception that we live a linear life and not a cyclical life.
Understanding the energy of the seasons is a productivity game changer that will help you do the right things at the right time.
The Pattern of Seasonal Energies
The pattern of the seasonal energies is repeated throughout nature: it is evident in the lunar phases, the tides, and the cycle of a day.
Knowing what season we are in can help you plan the right actions for the right time, helping you avoid wasting energy on actions that aren’t aligned with the current energy.
It’s obvious that this would be relevant if you’re planting a garden, running a farm, or setting sail on boat.
But even if you don’t work with nature, you are a part of nature.
The pattern of the seasonal energies is found in our breathing patterns, in our circadian rhythms, and in our sleep patterns.
The energy of the seasons is a pattern that applies broadly to our life itself — and to every part of life.
Every project, every relationship, every course of learning, and every workout (when well-structured) follows the cycle of the seasons. This pattern applies to the life of business and your life as a whole follows this pattern.
Even more important than knowing the season of nature we are in is knowing what season you are in — both in the macro sense of your life, in the micro sense of your different projects and relationships.
Energies of the Seasons
The energies of the seasons are nuanced and layered: each season is a fractal that contains the other seasons within it — which means that even within a given season, the energy changes.
Here is an introductory overview of the seasonal energies.
Winter: Dormancy and Vision
Winter begins at the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year.
This is the dark time; a time for retreating inward. Animals hibernate. The land is barren and freezes over.
This is the time of the silent night, stillness, deep rest, and renewal.
From the outside, it looks like everything has died. The end of Autumn and start of Winter is a time for metaphorical death of things: for releasing what no longer serves us.
This release creates a void; a space of emptiness. But this emptiness isn’t barren.
Just as light emerged from darkness in the creation story, all creation emerges from the emptiness of the void.
A seed that doesn’t have a period of dormancy won’t sprout into a flower that blooms in the spring.
The deep rest of Winter nourishes the soil and seeds to allow for Spring blooms. This is the step before the reinvention that will arrive in Spring.
Eventually, the ground begins to thaw and the first stages of growth begin to happen deep beneath the surface.
We notice a gradual increase of the light, and start to form a vision. We might plant the earliest of seeds as the ground softens. Seeds previously planted slowly begin to wake from their slumber and shoot roots downward, further into the earth, giving them the roots that will eventually support the upward sprouting.
The sap begins to flow through the trees. Nature is slowly returning to life.
In the cycle of the breath, Winter is the emptiness before the inhale. It’s the barren space of potential and possibility; the place of mystery.
Spring: Possibility and Initiation
Spring begins with the Vernal Equinox: when daylight and night come into balance.
This is the season of emergence: the growth that started in the end of winter with roots moving downward becomes visible as the sprouts shoot upward and push through the surface of the soil.
Animals take the first steps out of their caves. Bird return to their nests. Trees start to bloom.
In the same way that sleeping on something leads to a fresh ideas in the morning, the dormancy of Winter gives rise to new perspectives.
Spring is the season of initiation, when we take the first steps to implement the vision formed in late winter. It is the inception point, the initial commitment.
Spring is the season of renewal, fresh starts, and hope. It is a time of potential and possibility: a seed can be anything. Spring is is a season of curiosity, excitement, wonder, and experimentation.
Spring is the inhale in the cycle of the breath: the phase of inspiration. It is the moment of birth — when the seed of possibility becomes a viable reality with its first breath of air.
Summer: Growth and Maintenance
Summer begins with the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. The Sun is at it’s peak height and strength. The days are long and hot, and activity is in full force.
Summer is the season of growth, maintenance, steadiness, and dedication. In the warmth and heat of the Sun, Spring’s pastels become more saturated; its fragile leaves become more sturdy.
Summer is about consistency: just as the Sun shows up every day to shine its light, we do the same. This is not a time to be concerned with results or with when the crops will be ripe and ready.
This is a season of tending, maintaining, and sustaining our efforts: watering the crops, tilling the soil, tending to growth.
By Summer, the newness of Spring’s creations has worn off and we are no longer in the “shiny and new” — this is the season for consistent and persistent daily action that ensures that Spring’s blossoms don’t die on the vine.
Summer asks us to trust that the steady dedication will yield results — even if those results might be different from what we initially expected or envisioned.
In the cycle of the breath, Summer is the pause after the inhale: the moment of fullness.
Autumn: Harvest and Release
Autumn begins with the Autumn Equinox; once again the day and night are in balance.
Autumn is the season of harvest, when our persistent efforts from Summer are rewarded with the ripe fruit.
This is the time to gather and receive the fruits of your labor; to celebrate the effort you have invested and the rewards you have reaped. Autumn is a time of celebration of all our accomplishments, to be in gratitude for what we’ve reaped.
By Autumn we have arrived at the peak of our mountain; it’s a moment to pause and enjoy the view, to look back and see how far we’ve come, and to assess what we’ve learned that can help us during the next cycle.
Autumn is also a time for release. After the harvest, the leaves start to turn colors and fall off the trees. Once we’ve reached the mountain peak, we begin the descent.
Nature starts to turn inward in preparation for Winter.
In the final stages of Autumn, we grieve what didn’t come to fruition, or what we had that we lost. We empty our in preparation for winter.
In the cycle of the breath, Autumn is the exhale: the expiration of the breath. This is where we release what is stale and empty out to prepare for the next iteration of the cycle.
How to Work With Seasonal Energy
Working with seasonal energy isn’t just about recognizing what season of the year you are living through; it’s also about understanding what season you are in your life, and what season any given project or relationship is in.
Ask Yourself:
- Where am I feeling the pull to start something new?
- What projects are in growth phase and require consistent energy?
- What is coming to completion or reaching a harvest point?
- What needs to be put aside for a while to rest?
We only have so much energetic bandwidth. Knowing what season you’re in — and what season your various projects are in — helps you align your energy and actions with their best use.
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