A dear friend recently shared how late summer can feel stagnant and uninspiring. This is a person who thrives in new scenery and vast landscapes. I reminded him that a possible antidote is to connect with the wonder and subtle changes happening right under our noses—in our own habitats.
It’s human nature to become desensitized to the things we see every day and to forget to appreciate the life teeming in our backyards. The framework of micro seasons can help us rediscover the small wonders and micro changes unfolding before us. The tiniest mushroom that wasn’t there yesterday. The sunflower that has finally opened after a season of growth. The figs that have ripened after an abundance of rain and that are being enjoyed by a host of critters. The poke berry that’s turned from green to burgundy.
Micro seasons are an alternative way of measuring time. Of deepening our seasonal wisdom. Micro seasons celebrate life cycles and the transient nature of things. They also offer comfort and reassurance in seasonal patterns and predictable rhythms. They are an opportunity to honor the sacred in the familiar.
The ancient Japanese calendar had 72 micro seasons lasting approximately five days each. Here they are for August:
August 3-7: Great rains sometimes fall
August 8-12: Cool winds blow
August 13-17: Evening cicadas sing
August 18-22: Thick fog descends
August 23-27: Cotton flowers open
But of course our own micro seasons will be unique depending on our habitats and what captures our attention. This practice can be a form of observation, reflection, and devotion. As I look back on the micro seasons I’ve experienced in past weeks — the spring trout lilies, the periodical cicadas, the June fireflies, the wildflowers of July — my sense of gratitude swells. These moments are also touchstones to what was going on in my life at that time. Micro seasons are mileposts on the inward and outward journey as we mark the passage of time in relationship to the natural world.
an invitation
You may want to embrace the practice of micro seasons as a form of self-care that offers solace, wisdom, and wonder.
How do you identify a micro season?
You begin by noticing. By being curious.
By observing your local habitat — on walks, while looking out your window, or spending time in your yard or neighborhood.
As you slow down, notice what shimmers and shines for you.
What captures your attention, senses, and imagination?
What is a key moment or pattern being revealed in the natural world this week?
What is delighting you?
What do you want to learn more about?
These are the questions that guide your discovery of a micro season. Then, once you’ve identified one, you may want to document it in a way that is meaningful for you—a short description, a series of photos, a drawing, a journal entry, or a conversation.
a blessing
May the micro seasons you experience help you to behold the gifts offered each day. May cultivating this practice foster deep seeing, deep feeling, and deep expression as we honor the unfolding seasons—day after day, week after week.
