From the very early ages of man, as tribes, we would celebrate the changing seasons and markings of new beginnings, seasons ending and changing of the weather.
We know there are four key seasonal events in the year:
- Spring Equinox, Ostara
- Summer Solstice, Litha
- Autumn Equinox, Mabon
- Winter Solstice, Yule
These 4 seasonal milestones are ways to mark an end of the previous season, and the start of the new one. It’s a reason to celebrate new beginnings or ends – and this is what our ancient ancestors used to do.
It would symbolise harvest, or the end of hard agricultural work or the anticipation and waiting of gathering the fruit of labour/hard work.
What about now?
Most of us don’t rely on planting seeds and worrying about where our food is going to come from because we don’t grow it – we have access to shops that sell them to us.
That however, doesn’t meant that we can’t take the time to pause and celebrate our natural, changing world and its seasons.
There are rituals, ceremonies and little ways in which we can celebrate each season, especially on those 4 key days of the year, that symbolise and mark the start of changes.
Celebrating Nature
There are different ways in which you can celebrate nature – whether you live in the city, in an apartment or in the midst of nature.
Wherever you are, there are little rituals and almost ceremonies you can perform at home that don’t necessarily need to involve a lot of props.
Any props or items you would need to use are easy to access because they are seasonal items, so you’re likely to find them in your local shop anyway.
How to Celebrate Seasons?
You can celebrate the seasons by firstly marking the four dates in your calendar – these dates will depend on where you are in the world.
Whether you are in the northern or southern hemisphere, you will want to mark the dates for spring and autumn equinox, as well as summer and winter solstice.
The celebrations come from Pagans, who incorporate nature and seasons into their religions and celebrations.
Each of those 4 dates are milestones that allow us to get excited about the season and all that’s to come with it. Winter might be the hardest to get excited about, while our energy levels are low.
However, the season is a reminder to relax, restore energy and slow down to be ready for Spring and Summer when everything starts to come back to life, including our increasing energy levels.
Seasonal Changes and Effects on Our Energy Levels
As human beings on this planet and as living organisms part of the natural cycle, when we go through each season, our moods and energy are reflective of those seasons and changes.
During the winter, naturally we feel cold, dark with low energy levels – we should always respect that and allow ourselves to rest.
The spring makes us feel alive, hopeful and we start to feel more energetic and ready for new ventures. Days are getting longer, we get more sun, birds are chirping and flowers are blossoming.
Summer is a time of full energy and happiness – we can be very productive and feel unstoppable, hopeful and happy during the summer months.
As autumn approaches, our energy levels lower with the colder days/nights and shorter days, we naturally tend to slow down. Enjoying the rest, the slowing pace of our world, leaves falling and changing our eating habits to warm stews and soups.
Our bodies and energy levels are naturally responsive to what is going on around us, that includes our life situations/circumstances as well as seasonal changes.
Seasonal Cycles of Life
We can apply the same logic of seasons, to our lives and cycles that we go through, which are influenced by situations, circumstances and our inner thoughts.
Our lives also go through the seasonal changes, in a literal sense and a more metaphorical too.
We go through winters of our lives – when everything seems dark, we seem to have more troubles, maybe we have financial problems, we get down easily and things are generally low, sometimes for no apparent reason.
Then spring comes, we start to feel more hopeful, we start seeing new beginnings, new opportunities and things are starting to blossom for us.
That could be in our career/business endeavours, or personal lives.
Then we get the glorious summer – we’re free from worry, everything is great and we feel on top of the world. Warm, fuzzy and generally happy with everything.
Our job is great, our relationships are going well, we’re having fun with friends, we feel great about our body etc. All going well and honky dory. Amazing…
From that lovely time of summer, we start to go down a bit, maybe our business is having some trouble or we have a falling out with a family member.
Things are getting a bit darker again and we can start to feel a little lost.
Things can easily spiral out, with a few odd sunny days, but eventually we go back into winter and things are again a little low and not quite right.
These situations in our lives very often resemble and can be compared to seasons, because we all know that after a dark time in our lives, something amazing happens and the world feel restored and shiny again.
How to Celebrate Spring Equinox?
Spring Equinox is when the day and night are the same length. It normally falls on or around the 21st March (I live in the UK).
It’s the first day of spring, everything starts to grow, the grass looks greener, flowers popping up everywhere and it’s normally time for Easter too.
To celebrate the Spring Equinox you can simply go for a walk, and notice the changes. To make it more fun, take a pen and paper with you, or try to take photos of what you notice!
This could be flowers, bugs coming out, how high the sun is compared to a few weeks ago, what the trees are starting to look like.
If you like, hug a tree, take a picnic to your local park, buy some seasonal fruit and veg (e.g. spring onions) and make a salad!
You could have a spring display or altar in your home, that can be Easter related (like eggs and chickens) or more natural ones like filling your house with daffodils and willow catkins.
Some other fun ideas to celebrate Spring Equinox are:
- Create a flower mandala and mediate, setting intentions for the coming spring
- Spring clean while throwing away what is no longer serving you
- Sage your rooms and yourself to clear any negative energy holding you back from the winter’s energies
What Should We Celebrate During Spring Equinox?
If you’re not sure why you’d want to celebrate the Spring Equinox, some common and ancestral reasons why we celebrate it are:
- Agricultural changes
- Ground getting warmer
- Start of life
- Buds and flowers growing
- More sunshine and longer days
How to Celebrate Summer Solstice?
This is peak of high energy for the year – it’s the longest day of the year and the shortest night, my favourite day of the year! Apart from my birthday of course…
With the long days, we feel energetic and positive, feeling the energy from the sun. Some ways to celebrate Summer Solstice can be:
- Watching the sunrise and sunset
- Spending the whole day in nature being thankful for this long day and sunshine
- Have a bonfire
- Set intentions for the rest of the summer (you can write them down and burn in the bonfire)
- Cook a bright, colourful dinner or make a salad with fresh fruit and veg
How to Celebrate Autumn Equinox?
Autumn Equinox also know as Mabon, is a time of thanking for harvest, and preparing for what’s to come – cold days and nights, and shorter days. The day and night on Autumn Equinox are again, the same length.
The leaves are staring to go orange and fall, conkers are falling and our energies are slowing down again.
Some of the ways you can celebrate Autumn Equinox are:
- Cook a seasonal feast, maybe using pumpkins or any other seasonal veg
- Do an autumn display/altar at home using orange leaves, red/orange and yellow flowers
- As there is a lot of smoke in the air (the smell and foggy air), you can smudge your house clearing your air and energy
The Reasons Why You Might Want to Celebrate Autumn Equinox Are:
– Fields empty/plucked
– Giving thanks for crops (not necessarily applicable if you don’t grow your own, but if you enjoy seasonal fruit and veg and your local farm shop, this would still be applicable!)
How to Celebrate Winter Solstice?
The Winter Solstice is the time of rebirth and renewal, while the sun makes its way back to the earth. It is a time of stillness, low energy, and generally resting.
With not much to do, short days, it’s a good time to reflect on your past year and achievements. Maybe look back on your intentions you set and see how far you have come.
As the new year approaches and spring follows afterwards, you could also decide what your next year is going to bring and what you’d like to achieve.
Some of the ways you can celebrate Winter Solstice are:
- Decorate your house with evergreens and wintery things like pine cones
- Light a fire or some candles to bring some light into the darkness of winter nights
- Write down what you’d like to let go of, and what you’d like to bring into this year (you can then throw the list into the fire
