Living Seasonally

I want to talk about living by the seasons. I’m sure you’ve heard of eating seasonally, eating by what is in season in your regional area. Just as that is best for your health and will give you the best crops available, living seasonally can be very beneficial. In case you haven’t noticed, we are dead in the middle of winter. The winter solstice, the shortest day of light of the year and the longest night, occurs at the end of December. Yet despite this change in environment, most people try to act the same as they would if it were midsummer.

In fact, with “new year’s resolutions” people seem to get even more active and push harder at this time. I wanted to write this post because the new year just occurred. We wonder why so many people fall off of their habits, perhaps it is because you are pushing against the rhythms of nature. Winter is not the time to start a new workout routine, burn the midnight oil, and accomplish all your goals. Winter is the time to rest, contemplate, reflect, and recover from the past year.

I like to set my goals more on a month to month basis. So if you must engage in new year’s resolutions, make them specific to each month. That way you can tailor your winter goals to reflect the time of year. Perhaps a meditation, stretching, or sleep related goal? Something peaceful that will aid in your rest and allow you to live with the darkness, not against it. Mother nature is resting, the mammals are hibernating, so you should too.

The best time to start a new goal would be in the spring. I want to follow the astrological new year, which starts in March at the Spring Equinox. Spring has much more energy. We have reached a point when day and night are equal, and we are beginning the transition to longer days. Longer days means more daylight, and we will have more desire to be up and out for longer periods of time. So instead of pushing really hard for the next few months, fighting the natural ebb and flow of light and energy, try waiting until the spring. Take these next few months to take stock of how things are going and make plans for the “new year” that starts in the spring. Let the light and the energy work with you. Enjoy the winter, maybe doing a little more, bit by bit, as the sun slowly rises earlier and earlier. Nature moves slowly, as should we.

Purpose

As an addendum to Acceptance, live with purpose. What we do when we accept the universe as it is, and stop trying to change it to try to get an arbitrary goal, is that we live with purpose.

When I said “acceptance is dying on a battle field” what I meant was that knight was living his purpose up to the moment of his death. And I don’t quite mean this literally. I learned this lesson through a past life regression. So imagine a knight in the middle ages, who devoted his whole life to defending and serving his king. That was his purpose. He was not attached to the glory he would receive after battle, the riches or luxuries one might find at court. He was solely focused on living out his purpose, which happened to be fighting in battle, regardless of the outcome. And in this outcome he surrendered and was executed. But because he lived in this surrender, acceptance of the universe, freedom from attachment, he was fully satisfied with no regrets in the end.

Now we do not usually have such clear cut purposes as a knight, who truly gave his life for his purpose. But we each can strive to identify what our purpose is and who we are. I often go back to the example of my life because it is also pretty clear. My purpose is to be a guide to others. I counsel, teach, and guide people in their lives. I have done this my whole life from friendships, to strangers I met working customer facing roles. People have always come to me with their problems and talked to me about their lives. And I was able to be a sounding board and help direct their energy. So for me to live my purpose, I have to focus my energy on guiding and counseling others. Not being rich, not growing my business, not gaining fame and notoriety. My purpose is to be invested in my work and apply my energy towards that directive everyday. And when I am invested in my purpose and working towards serving others, I will be content. That is where my freedom lies. That is how I can surrender to the universe and accept my fate. By living my purpose.

And when we live our purpose, things should align more easily. The universe will provide more readily. Again, I may not have fame and fortune, but that doesn’t equal happiness. I do know that when I am devoted to my purpose all of my true needs for this life will be met and the universe will conspire with me. We cannot imagine the life the universe has prepared for us, that is not our job. Our job is to find and live out our purpose, and allow the universe to amaze and delight us. Let go of the reigns, let go of control. Live moment to moment, making each decision in alignment with your purpose, and the road will be set for you.

That is all that we have. Our in the moment decisions. The universe will make you an offering, and you get to accept or deny. You do not have control of the outcome or what is next. You cannot make a decision today to guarantee riches in five years. That control is not yours. But you can choose moment to moment what resonates with your purpose and step towards that. Choose that path and walk along it as the universe guides you.