Nature connection, seasonal living

I’m a believer in seasonal living. That it is good for our health and life energy (chi) to adjust our habits according to the season we’re having.

To adjust the clothing is evident in a temperate region, it simply gets too hot or cold. But in a time of supermarkets, urban living, central heating and hectic lives, adjusting our nourishment is easily forgotten. Food and drink – their texture, temperature, moisture content and amount – are important factors to be mindful of.

And so too, the pace of Life and the activities we engage ourselves in, are asking for our re-evaluation on a seasonal basis. In my case, the realisation about seasonal activities came to me as a young adult, when I read about the Finnish artist Osmo Rauhala who is spending his winters in New York as a fine artist, and organically farming at his family farm in the growing season in Finland. I find it a very self-supportive thing to do, to be mindful about all of these factors of food, pace of Life and the kind of activities we undertake in the different seasons.

And now new season has set in. A shift in temperature and wind, in rain and the scent in the air. Here in the Northern hemisphere we have the season of autumn.

Autumn

It’s getting cooler, there is more wind and rain. I retreat from the garden to the sheltered indoors, I long for woolly things and warm drinks. The desire to grow things makes space for the craving to make things, in a way, to alchemise matter. My working space becomes colourful with tools and materials for all kinds of art and crafts. My mind explores inner realms instead of the external, expansive Universum.

Outside, the Nature is preparing for winter. Plant saps pull from the tips of branches and slowly flow to the roots. Leaves change colour and, together with ripe fruit and nuts, eventually fall and form a protective blanket on the earth for plants and animals to shelter and nourish themselves with. “That what is no longer needed – old, spent – should be released in order to become new matter” is the message from Nature in the autumn. Also: “Evaluate. Glean wisdom from your experiences.”

5 elements – Metal

The element of Metal belongs to the season of autumn. It has a withdrawing character (as in: life energy, chi, flows inward and downward). It has associations with wisdom, authority, eliminating that what is no longer needed, personal boundaries, personal riches (talents, adornments, possessions) and the colours white, gray and silver. It is connected with the Lung meridian, associating with free speech and easy breathing.

Now would be an excellent time to ponder on things that have to do with the characteristics of the element of Metal. You might meditate, have a leisurly walk with these things or journal about them… experiment.

As always, I’m curious to read about your findings, either in the comments below or in a personal message.

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