Seasonal practice

Many Pagans and witches still use the Wheel of the Year as some part of their practice, even if it isn't the core of their work.  We honor the cycle of nature, and there are natural points in the year that we celebrate as part of the turning of the seasons.

But often our regular practice remains the same throughout the year.  Some small things may change (like we may be less inclined to take long walks in the winter or the summer), but especially if you are an 'indoor' Pagan, like me, your daily practice might not take into account the seasons.  

This mindset stems from our modern mastery over the natural world...in the sense that virtually nothing else in our daily life changes depending on the season, so why should your spiritual life?  And yet, even if you spend the bulk of your days inside, the flux in the world seeps in.

One of the most basic ways in which the world effects us is the amount of daylight per day, and when those daylight hours are.  Our brains react differently to sunlight than to moonlight (or artificial light), and this is one of the reasons we are drawn to be more active (and often to be outdoors) more in the summer, when the light is at it's height.  On the flip side of the wheel, in winter we may find ourselves more likely to cuddle up with a blanket and a story (whether that means a book or a show).

Learning to embrace these seasonal tides can help us work with our own natural cycles.  Even though there are general tendencies, we each have our own unique nature, and so we may find that we get personally invigorated in the fall and in the spring we find ourselves more lethargic.  Taking note of what you are drawn to...as well as what you resist, helps you develop a cyclical practice that works for you!

One of the benefits of having a cyclical practice is that you can include more things without overwhelming yourself...and without spreading yourself too thin.  Most people find they get the best benefits from sticking with a practice, doing it on a regular basis.  But we only have so much time in any given day (and we have many responsibilities!), so you may only have time to do one or two spiritual practices every day.

If you have a lot of interests, this can leave you feeling like you can't focus in on any one of them as much as you would like.  If you have ten different things you are wanting to work with, and you do one every day, that's a week and a half before you do the same thing again...much too long to retain much of what you did the previous time.  By splitting your time by seasons, and working with different things in each season, you can work with things for a block of time, and then work with something that suits you better in the next season.  It allows you to not only stick with something but also change it up and keep things fresh.

And these don't have to be all or nothing swaps either.  You might do divination all year, but really dive deep in the winter months.  So in winter, you might do weekly or even daily spreads, bust out your books or study your decks, while the rest of the year you might stick to a monthly reading.  Or, you may want to work with several divination methods, and you find that you get more understanding from your tarot cards in the spring but from runes in the fall.

Some practices naturally fall into certain parts of the year.  If you like wildcrafting, you work with things when they are in season.  Spring and fall become busy times, while winter might be a time of playing with new recipes and combinations.  

There are also mundane considerations to think about.  If you have young kids, summer might be a very busy time for you, as the kids are home and needing more attention.  You might need to pare your practice back, and then in fall, when school starts up again, you might feel the call to really dive back in full tilt.  Fall might be your deep study time, where you do a lot of reading and research, so you have plenty of new ideas to mull over during the rest of the year.

For me personally, Halloween marks the start of what I call holiday season.  From Halloween through New Year is just super busy.  There are not only family holidays, but I do NaNo (which demands a lot of both time and brain focus).  There are gifts to plan and acquire, meals to organize and cook, gatherings to attend...it just feels like I'm moving non-stop through the last months of the year.

And yet....I also am motivated by that movement.  I often get my big ideas for the next year during this almost frantic time.  I write myself notes and make plans.  It's a time of big transition for me, and I'm working on making my new planner, figuring out what my focus is going to be for the coming year, reflecting on the past year.  

When the New Year actually rolls around, I feel like I need a break.  I tend to spend January doing the bare minimum.  I'd like to say I hit the ground running, but I tend to start each year with a rest time, focusing on recovering from the crazy end of the previous year.  Even though I often have big spiritual plans for the year, I start soft, I kind of let the dust settle and then ease into things.

Developing a seasonal rhythm to your practice isn't something you need to set in stone either!  You can try things out, and see what works...and what doesn't.  A season is only three months (or one and a half if you want to break it down by Sabbats), and if something really isn't sitting well with you, you don't even have to finish out the season....especially if you are finding you just can't keep up with a practice, or if you find you are really craving something that you aren't doing.

When you notice things like this...write them down!  If you are finding a practice isn't working for you, spend a bit of time thinking about why it's not working, and consider if another time might work better.  Make a note to revisit it then.  If instead you are missing something you aren't doing, that's great!  Remember what time made you crave that practice and plan on doing it more at that time of the year.

The more you work with feeling out what practices fit best at different times of the year, the more you will create a unique, and seasonal, practice that fits your life.  And you may find that you get to do more, and things just flow better...because you are doing them in their best time.