Embracing Our Cyclical Nature

It’s been two full years since I started living more seasonally, and in that time, a lot has become more clear for me. While our Western cultural ideals and societal structures teach us that progress is linear and our potential for growth is unlimited, observing the natural world shows us that our existence on this planet is much more like a circle. Nothing in nature stays the same all the time. 

The natural world is in a continuous cycle of life, death and rebirth. 

When I started taking more notice of the cycles of the moon a few years ago (an interest first sparked by the concept of biodynamic gardening) I realized how natural it is to move in cycles like this. Think about it:

The four seasons:

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

The four phases of the moon:

Waxing, Full, Waning, New

The four portions of our daily rhythm:

Morning, Midday, Afternoon, Night

The four segments of the agricultural year:

Planting, Growing, Harvesting, Fallow/Resting

The four phases of the menstrual cycle:

Follicular, Ovulatory, Luteal, Menstrual

The four stages of the creative process:

Preparation, Incubation, Illumination, Verification

We are much more a part of the living world than we’ve been led to believe. There’s this idea that humans are separate and superior, unmoved by the forces that govern the tides. But the more I learn, the more I see we are integrated in this cyclical reality. The four seasons are a perfect template for the cycles we must allow ourselves to endure throughout our lives and creative journeys, in many different ways and iterations. 

Winter

The top of the cycle, both the beginning and the end, is winter. Winter is the fallow period while the earth rests. It can also be considered a pause, or even a darkness, that is pregnant with possibility. 

Spring

Then comes spring; a time when the warming soil reawakens plants to growth. A time for sowing seeds and intentions of what we want to grow and tend to over the coming year.

Summer

After that is summer, a time of rapid growth and often, many challenges, due to weather, pest pressure or disease. This is the energetic climax of the year or of a creative project or pursuit.

Fall

Then finally, summer fades into autumn, a time for bringing in the harvest. A time to reap what we’ve sown and show gratitude for all of the abundance we’ve played a role in creating. Also a time for tying up loose ends before the stillness of winter comes again.

All parts of this cycle are essential. You can’t experience one in its fullness without the others. 

The problem comes when you try to rush or fight against the season you’re in. We can’t control our own inner seasons any more than we can control the weather or the movement of the earth around the sun. Only machines have the possibility of a predictable, linear existence. As humans, we can only accept where we are with patience and learn to work with this intrinsic part of us instead of lamenting it. 

We can do this by keeping in mind that each ending is a new beginning, and that progress looks a lot more like a jumbled spiral than a straight line. We can do this by accepting that ups and downs are a normal part of being human, and of any creative pursuit we undertake – whether that’s making art, growing a family, mastering a craft, starting a business, creating new habits and routines, etc. Experiencing down times doesn’t mean you are doing something wrong, or that you aren’t making progress. In life there are seasons where slowing down and resting is the most productive thing you can do. Because it’s within that fertile darkness where the seeds of your future will find the nourishment they need to grow.