I loved King Arthur stories as a girl. I read histories of the time period as an adult. As I read about the history of Merlin, I became interested in the agricultural societies of the time. I wanted to know how they grew their own food and medicines in a climate similar to mine in New England. That’s when I first saw their calendar of festivals.
I compared it to other early European cultures and found they all had a similar calendar of religious festivals. The mythologies signifying the date were similar. Different vocabulary, different parable for the same reasons. It makes the eight seasons of the year distinct. They mark the calendar year. Six weeks apart. This calendar made it easier to tell what time of year it was.
I use the eight season calendar for self care. I adjust my body, mind, and spirit to each of the seasons throughout the year. I stay healthy, curious, and passionate about being alive by celebrating each season.
Each season has it’s own delights and drawbacks. The drawbacks can cause symptoms. The symptoms are categorized into your Common Senses. Your sense of taste is in four of the eight seasons…because its about adapting to changes in weather.
- Early Winter (Samhain)
Begins October 31 (S. Hemisphere, May 1)
Not enough sunlight or warmth for crops.
Increasing moonlight. Darker every day. A time of Spirit and Adapting to change.
Symptoms of Early Winter are…Depression, Sluggishness, Lots of colds /flu, Sinus congestion, Bronchitis/Pneumonia, Water retention, Eye problems, Eating disorders, Skin outbreaks, Isolationism, Judgmental, Digestion problems, Sleep problems, Unhappy but not depressed, Sudden fatigue, Cravings, Twitching, Joint pain, Weight management, Anxiety, Unable to finish anything
Body – Keep moving. Stay warm. Keep the momentum of the warmer months going for everyone around you. Be the campfire. Keep busy. Stay focused. A great time of year to be working with people towards a common goal.
Mind – Use your mind to adapt to a new season of inspiration. The indoor, holiday season begins. A social time of traditions and merriment with friends and family. Remember to eat wisely at least every other day. Too many sweets, salts and fats create unecessary drama and symptoms.
This is a season of storytelling and communicating with people face to face. Listening is key to talking to anyone. A busy social season is a lot easier done with regular daily schedule. It really helps as the days get darker and darker…and busier and busier.
Spirit – This is the time of year for listening to what your spirit whispers…and adapting your life to accomplish it. It could be about how to grow a better harvest next year. It could be a change for body, mind, or spirit.
Inspiration for change of any kind comes from your spirit. All ideas for how to improve next years harvest begin here. All personal resolutions come from your spirit. Making them happen is up to your mind and body.
Choose one thing you would like to change about yourself or your life during the next year, be specific. One resolution. Asian medicine teaches to change only one thing at a time when dealing with a symptom. I use the same concept for resolutions. Choose one thing you want to change about yourself or your life and focus on it…for a whole year.
The first step is picking the right change to work on. Write a few down. Then ask yourself a few questions. Intuition will tell you which idea will do you the most good. Would this change be just for you, for others, or both? What are the good and bad consequences if this thing in your life changes? What would your life feel like for 24 hours if this particular thing were different? Think of all the details from waking to sleeping. Write it all down, make a collage. Focus. Imagining something in full detail is the first step of achieving it.
2. Winter (Winter Solstice)
Begins December 20-23 (S. Hemisphere, June 20-23)
Return of the sunlight. Cold. A time of Spirit, calm.
Peak moonlight. Darkest time of the year. Time of introspection, not action.
Preparing tools for the coming year. Surviving the winter with self-care.
Symptoms of Winter are…Depression, Sluggishness, Lots of colds /flu, Sinus congestion, Bronchitis/Pneumonia, Water retention, Eye problems, Eating disorders, Skin outbreaks, Isolationism, Judgmental
Body – Focus is on staying healthy, warm and well fed. Symptoms for this time of year are part of your Common Sense of Hearing (Spirit).
A great time of year to clean up your lifestyle now that the holidays are over. A perfect time to get your body healthy. No colds, flus and viruses to deal with if your immune system is well fed. Exercise creates happy hormones.
Keep moving. Go for a short walk outside to the same place every day, no matter the weather. Count how many colors you see each time. Celebrate with something special if you get all seven. Getting a little cold, then warming up, is good for you. Staying inside all the time is not.
Mind – Things come to a sudden stop after the wonderful whirl of holidays. The rest of this season is about deep winter. Mental symptoms this time of year include depression and sunlight deficiency disorder. Both are alleviated by keeping your eyes and mind excited through the dark, cold season.
Learn something new. Discover a new restaurant, or author to read. Cook new kinds of meals. Explore new flavors. Rearrange the furniture right after the holiday decorations come down. It makes your home look less empty. Buy a new houseplant. Tending a plant this time of year does wonders. The green color, or flowers, delight your eyes. Winter starves the eyes of color. Try to have all seven at least present in your immediate surroundings. Doesn’t have to be rainbows everywhere. Just spots of color here and there really help.
Spirit – Light begins to shine on your new idea for change in your life this year. It’s illuminated. You begin to sense how much this change will help you. Plan benchmarks, not timelines, of progress to accomplish it. Figure out what tools you need for the task.
3. Early Spring (Imbolc)
Begins February 2 (S. Hemisphere, August 2)
Increasing sunlight and warmth. A time of Enthusiasm and Adapting to change. Preparing the ground for the coming year. Sowing of seeds of the future
Symptoms of Early Spring are…Jaundice, Hot flashes, Distractible, Obsessiveness, Substance abuse, Migraine, Infrequent rashes, Fever, Burning eyes, Insomnia, Controlling, Digestion problems, Sleep problems, Unhappy but not depressed, Sudden fatigue, Cravings, Twitching, Joint pain, Weight management, Anxiety, Unable to finish anything
Body – Symptoms for this time of year are part of your Common Sense of Sight (Enthusiasm) and Taste (Adapting).
Everyone seems happier when the winter weather begins to melt. People are in the sunshine whenever possible. Enthusiasm for the warmer months is at its peak. Gardens are planned, seeds are optimistically started on windowsills, under growlights, in coldframes, and greenhouses.
Your body can finally move again. Muscles are stretched and worked back into shape after a long winters rest. Remember to stretch before doing winter clean up. Some of your muscles haven’t really been used since last summer. Wake them up slowly. You won’t be as sore if you stretch first. A hot shower or bath afterwards also really helps prevent sore muscles. Dancing, or even listening to rhythmic music, while working keeps your muscles loose and keeps your stamina at a steady pace.
Mind – Use your mind to adapt to a new season full of enthusiasm. Adapting to warmth feels a lot easier than getting ready for the cold, but it’s just as much work. There is more daylight, so there are more activities in your day. It’s the same for everyone. Schedules start heating up as the days do. Build half an hour of fun into every day. No exceptions. It will help you stay focused. Write lists. Say no more often.
Spirit – Begin working on the first benchmark for improving in your life. Stay focused.
4. Spring (Spring Equinox)
Begins March 19-22 (S. Hemisphere, September 19-22)
Increasing sunlight and warmth. A time of Enthusiasm.
Seedlings emerge, the strongest are chosen and used for crops.
Symptoms of Early Spring are…Jaundice, Hot flashes, Distractible, Obsessiveness, Substance abuse, Migraine, Infrequent rashes, Fever, Burning eyes, Insomnia, Controlling
Body – Symptoms and similar traits for this time of year are part of your Common Sense of Sight (Enthusiasm). Spring is a fun time of year for all of your common senses. Happy hormone production is at peak. Love is in the air (oxytocin). Sports seasons are wrapping up (dopamine). Lots of outdoor chores and spring cleaning to do (seratonin & endorphins).
You can only produce these hormones if you are eating well, learning new things, having fun with other people, and moving your body. It’s worth the effort. A happy hormone natural high is spring tonic to your body, mind, and spirit.
Mind – Adapting to Spring is the easiest feeling task of the year. Winter melts away leaving clutter and dust from the last season. Time to clean up your lifestyle in general. Spring cleaning makes you think clearer. It’s closure on the long winter past, and preparing for a new season. Keep detailed calendars and lists. Check things off as you do them. Consider as many tasks as possible to be benchmarks of your day, not deadlines. Make the time sensitive tasks priorities. All others can fit wherever they may. It doesn’t matter if you finish the whole list or not. Postpone or delegate what you can’t comfortably finish. It will be a long warm-weather season, pace yourself.
Spirit – This is when changes become visible. You can feel a difference in yourself as spring arrives. Emerging from the winter stronger, improved from the inside out. Your dream of a better life has grown into a goal. It is the season of being optimistic about accomplishing any benchmarks, your dreams of an ideal outcome.
5. Early Summer (Beltane)
Begins May 1 (S. Hemisphere, October 31)
Increasing sunlight and warmth. A time of Motivation and Adapting to change
Crops visible, time nurturing growth
Symptoms of Early Summer are…Irregular heartbeat, Migraine, Rash, Fever, Burning eyes, Insomnia, Controlling others, Anger, Nosebleeds, Infections, Digestion problems, Sleep problems, Unhappy but not depressed, Sudden fatigue, Cravings, Twitching, Joint pain, Weight management, Anxiety, Unable to finish anything
Body -The speed of summer gains momentum in this season. The trick is keeping up as it speeds up. Focus on lists during the most hectic part. Remember to pay attention to how hot the weather is. Heat stroke season has begun. Eat cooler, lighter foods. Burnout season has begun. Pace yourself. Delegate. Do something fun every day that isn’t a competition. Enjoy the pace like a fast song that makes you tap your feet. Its all about finding the rhythm in the music of your life.
Mind – Use your mind to adapt to the new season. A wise man changes his mind as his life changes. Change your schedule…as your life changes…without stressing about it. Astonish people with your adapting skills, not perfectionism.
Spirit – Other people begin seeing a strong, but subtle change in you. Others can see your goal taking shape and the effect it will have. Talking with other people in your life helps your goal take root and grow.
6. Summer (Summer Solstice)
Begins June 19-23 (S. Hemisphere, December 19-23)
Peak sunlight. Hot. A time for your Body, action.
Least moonlight. Brightest time of the year.
Time of action, not introspection. Early harvest of your efforts
Symptoms of Summer are…Heart disease, Irregular heartbeat, Migraine, Rash, Fever, Burning eyes, Insomnia, Controlling others, Anger, Nosebleeds, Infections
Body – Symptoms for this time of year are part of your Common Sense of Touch. Heat requires continuous sunlight and water management. Pretend its ten degrees hotter. Walk slower. Do everything slower. Eat several, small, cooling, meals a day. Nothing too heavy, it will make you feel hotter. Greasy food creates greasy sweat. Greasy sweat feels hotter. Your body can handle more heat if you eat lighter meals, drink lots of water or tea, and cool your skin throughout the day with a washcloth. Avoid stimulants, the heat and sun are stimulating enough.
Mind – Cool your mind in the summer with play. Enjoy it. Bask in the Vitamin D filled sunshine. Relax in the shade, play in a mountain river. Stress makes the heat feel hotter. Playing, or taking life lightly, reduces stress. Less stress, less heat. Enjoy being around children during the sumer daytime. Their laughter is a tonic for everyone.
Spirit – The change in your life is evident to everyone. Only you know how much your life will change from it. How you use the change in your life, your goal, is now important to consider.
7. Early Autumn (Lammas)
Begins August 2 (S. Hemisphere, February 2)
Peak harvest
Increasing moonlight, and cooler. A time of Awareness and Adapting to change
Symptoms of Early Autumn are…Spacey, Sighing, Judgmental, Compulsive, Respiratory illness, Coughs, Dehydration, Skin problems, not a rash, Pins & needles feeling, General unhappiness, but not depressed, Digestion problems, Sleep problems, Unhappy but not depressed, Sudden fatigue, Cravings, Twitching, Joint pain, Weight management, Anxiety, Unable to finish anything
Body – A time of abundance. The harvests are coming in. Your hard work is paying off. Time to start to rest. Your body, mind, and spirit begin to slow down as the days grow shorter. Preparing for cold weather is a matter of survival. Survival starts with being aware of impending danger, or change.
Your Common Sense of Smell is about alerting you to change. If it’s a familiar change in the air, your mind calms. This is a season of change. Traditions mark the change and calms the mind about winter coming. You feel comforted by the passing of winter rather than alarmed. Getting ready
Mind – Use your mind to adapt to a new season awareness of your harvest, alert to differences from previous harvests.
Spirit – Your world can now see the changes in your life. Celebrate the abundant harvest of positive changes in your life. Be proud of what you did. Being joyful about accomplishing your goals brings joy to everyone around you. Joy is contagious.
8. Autumn (Autumnal Equinox)
September 21-24 (S. Hemisphere, March 21-24)
Last harvest.
Increasing moonlight, and cooler. A time of Awareness.
Symptoms of Autumn are…Spacey, Sighing, Judgmental, Compulsive, Respiratory illness, Coughs, Dehydration, Skin problems, not a rash, Pins & needles feeling, General unhappiness, but not depressed
Body – Symptoms and similar traits for this time of year are part of your Common Sense of Smell. Your body, mind, and spirit are all preparing for winter. Longer nights and killing frosts alert your body to make sure it has enough food and shelter to survive the cold.
Your Common Sense of Smell is about alerting you to change. If it’s a familiar change in the air, your mind calms.
This is a season of change. Its also a very traditional time of year. Schools begin, sporting events, and holiday preparation begins. All of these things are usually done the same way, at the same time, every year. Traditions mark the change and calms the mind about winter coming. You feel comforted by the passing of winter rather than alarmed.
Mind – Awareness can become paranoia. Be flexible about new things. Keep an open mind about something you didn’t know, or do, before. Let go of obsolete ideas or angers. Observe, evaluate the danger, act, then move on. Grudges create stress. Stubbornly, illogically, holding onto something creates stress. Let go of whatever you don’t need. Harvest all of the good from your awareness of the year, compost the rest.
Spirit – A time of evaluating all the harvests of the year…body, mind, and spirit. Think back to your life a year ago. Look at the positive changes in your life since then. What were the hard parts of the year? What did you learn most from the year, good and bad? What would you like to change next? Pick one thing.
