Seasonal Awareness
It’s safe to say that, although arguably the perk of living in San Diego is that it is always sunny and 75, we miss the benefits of what experiencing actual seasons have to offer us. I only mention this because seasonal awareness can play a massive role in our overall health and wellbeing.
Historically, the seasons ruled the nature of our activity as well as the way we ate. We only ate foods that grew from the land during that particular season. We would wind down our activities with the sun setting and greet the day with the sun rising. We honored the cycle of the seasons - hibernating and conserving our energy in the winter so that we bloom in spring with inspiration and the energy needed to sustain us through the summer so that we may harvest the seeds planted (literally and figuratively) in the autumn.
This is unfortunately no longer our way of life - which is most likely not news to you. What I am sharing right now is not new information. So what does seasonal awareness mean?
Very simply, it means to live in harmony with the seasons - honor the cyclical nature of the seasons. When we live in accordance to the seasons, we allow ourselves to thrive mind, body and spirit. To better understand the energetics behind each season, let’s first look at Yin and Yang.
The symbol at first glance may seem elusive, and - perhaps - may not even make sense. What we see are two - almost transposed - teardrops, where the black represents Yin and the white represents Yang, and within each teardrop we find a little bit of yin within yang and yang within yin. The teardrops themselves are full and round on one end and slowly leads into a smaller point. If we looked at the overall image of a circle broken into two teardrops, we see that for every cross-section of yin, the yang completes it (and vice verse) which will always equal 100%. If this doesn’t make sense right now, bare with me. It will.
Now, let’s look at what Yin and Yang represent energetically:
Yin:
Internal, Female, Dark, Earth, Moon, Night, Slow, Fluidity, Calm, Death, Allowing, Circular, Process, Feeling, Spirituality.
Yang
External, Male, Function, Day, Hot, Sky, Fast, Energy, Mind, Birth, Analytical, Linear, Outcome, Thinking, Science.
Okay, NOW, let’s look at how all of that applies to us. On a more micro level, each season encompasses different aspects of yin and yang and we can further reduce down into a micro level where different parts of the day correspond to different aspects of yin and yang. Let’s break down the energetics of each season.
Spring
As we turn the corner into spring, we notice that the amount of daylight grows. Representing birth, we are moving from a more yin time toward a more yang time. As we progress through spring, we reach a sort of equilibrium - the Spring Equinox - where there are equal parts light and dark. Life begins to come out of hibernation and reemerges. Flowers, plants and food begins to grow and sprout. There is a sense of vibrancy in the air. This is the time of year where we still honor rest but are slowly becoming more and more active. If we look at the nature of spring on the micro level, we experience “spring” in the morning. We wake with the first rays of light and slowly begin our day - progressively becoming more active.
Summer
YANG time. Representing growth, this is a high energy and production time. We have moved into predominately yang with little yin as we see with the amount of sunlight vs night. At this point, we are booming with energy - or, at least, we should be. We live more “outwardly” and are more social. Fresh produce is bountiful. On the micro level, we experience “summer” midday, when the sun is at it’s highest and when we experience the most amount of warmth and heat in the day. Symbolically, this is the part of the day when we “should” be the most active and productive.
Autumn
As summer starts to fade, the amount of darkness grows. Representing the harvest, we are moving from more yang to yin, once again reaching an equilibrium of sorts - the Autumnal Equinox. This time, with the waning of sunlight, we are moving toward hibernation. During this season, we are harvesting the fruits of our labors from the past 6 months; physically, mentally and spiritually. We are encouraged to start grounding back down and move inward. Touching on the micro level, the evening embodies this type of energy - progressively becoming less active and returning your focus inward.
Winter
YIN time. Personally, my favorite time of the year. Representing death and storage, we have moved into predominately yin with little yang, once again reflected by hours of dark vs light and little food growing. A time of hibernation and deep rest, we are encouraged to move deep within ourselves. This is a time of conservation and a build-up of energy with increasingly less activity. We are placing our energy into our “reserves” for a more energetic time of the year. We see this season represented by the night, where we mainly focus our energy inward and on deep rest. This is the place where all healing occurs and brings forth inspiration for spring.