Category: All Seasons

All Seasons, Contemplative Practices, Ecospirituality, Nature’s Wisdom, Seasonal Rhythms, Seasonal Wisdom

Soulful Micro Seasons

Stacey Hayes

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.

All Seasons

Small Wonders

Stacey Hayes

the art of noticing

Have you ever thought about what captures your attention? What you organically tend to notice on a day-to-day basis? Some people are naturally wired to see the big picture, but I’ve always had a penchant to see the small things. To notice the subtle expressions in someone’s face or slight shift in tone of voice. And the more I pay attention not only to my human counterparts but to the natural world around me, my attention to detail continues to get fine tuned season after season.

This time of year—that micro season of not feeling like winter yet not quite spring—there are many small wonders appearing. And lately, the trout lilies have been popping up in the woods behind our house, peeking out from the leaf litter. They have captured my heart and imagination. I’ve been visiting them at different times during the day this past week. These spring ephemerals won’t be around very long, so I must enjoy their company for this brief window before the leaves begin to form on the trees.

I noticed that their petals (tepals to be scientifically correct) were in different positions at various times of the day. And I discovered a pattern—they open at dawn and close at dusk following the natural rhythms of the rising and setting of the sun. Embracing the sun‘s warmth during the day and closing in a self embrace at night. It was as if their petals were unfolding in a yoga sun salutation at dawn and closing in a posture of prayer at dusk. The native little lilies, named after Brook Trout, are like dancing fairies on the forest floor.

As I spent more time with the trout lilies I recognized they are full of paradoxes. While their seasonal life cycles are very brief, their colonies can be hundreds of years old. Their delicacy coexists with their strength and determination as their slight stems push through the layers of leaves—sometimes grabbing hold of a leaf on their way up.

They are ethereal in their beauty, seemingly not of this earth, yet close to ground rising up from fertile soil. Each flower miniature, while their communities are vast.

At first glance, a small wonder’s beauty or novelty may capture your heart and attention. But with a deeper exploration and spending more time with it, you may become aware of its layers, intricacies, and sometimes paradoxes. This art of noticing, this deep attention, is one way that nature can help us to slow down and create spaciousness within. In offering our presence to the small wonders we are nourished and connected to a soulful ecosystem.

an invitation

Often used in nature journaling, the prompts below are a simple, yet profound way to explore the art of noticing and to cultivate  intimacy with the small wonders around you. Take a walk or just go outside and see what shimmers and shines for you. Then sit with that for awhile and think about (or write if you wish) the following:

I notice…

I wonder…

It reminds me of…

a blessing

May the art of noticing the small wonders invite us to cherish the mini miracles in the every day.

May the small wonders remind us of our own gifts. Of what sparkles within.

May the small wonders bring us back to our sense of belonging — illuminating our part in this soulful ecosystem.

“If you will stay close to nature, to its simplicity, to the small things hardly noticeable, those things can unexpectedly become great and immeasurable.”

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

All Seasons

Sanctuary

Stacey Hayes

Cultivating Sanctuary

When I imagine a sanctuary, a feeling of deep peace wells up from within. This is a place where I feel safety, comfort, and perfect peace that is rarely experienced.

Sanctuary is often defined as a sacred place and a place of refuge or protection. The word stems from the Latin ”sanctus,” which means holy. In places of worship, the sanctuary is the space around the altar. There are also sanctuaries for plants and animals such as The Elephant Sanctuary, which is dear to our family.

My inner sanctuary is nurtured by quiet reflection, being present with nature, and the love from family and friends.

There are times when my inner sanctuary needs healing and repair. But with time and care and love, this space heals and once again is whole. It never fully leaves me.

I also feel called to create an outer sanctuary…offering hospitality and love to those I come in contact with as I am able. Providing a safe haven for my family…a home defined by love and care. However, being human, these are all imperfect.

I also long to create a sanctuary for nature. A place where the creatures that share their habitats with me are safe and can live into the fullness of their being. A place where squirrels can scamper freely, bunnies can lounge in green clover, and birds can fly and sing with joy upon high.

There is a statue of Saint Francis in our backyard that is symbolic of the sanctuary I hope to create. St. Francis loved all living beings and is the Patron Saint for Ecologists. As a family, we try to plant native flora, keep many natural areas, and don’t use pesticides…offering hospitality for nature to thrive in this suburban neck of the woods.

I am deeply grateful for the sanctuaries I dwell in and that dwell within me.

What does the word sanctuary evoke in you?

How can your nurture your inner sanctuary?

“Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.”
~ From The Peace Prayer of St. Francis ~

All Seasons, Nature & Me

V is for Vulture

Stacey Hayes
Vultures Near the Creek in Durham, NC

Vultures are not a beautiful song bird or an impressive raptor. Rather, they are scavengers. Often feared and most definitely misunderstood.

I have had the opportunity to observe a turkey vulture community in my neighborhood over the past decade. They make their home here year round and congregate in tall trees and on the large power line towers. They circle the sky looking for food. They gather around creek banks, quenching their thirst or refreshing their feathers. And they flare their wings out to soak up the warmth of the sun.

Vultures function as a community…working together to ensure their wellbeing and survival. Gathering at dusk to share knowledge.

Soaring Effortlessly

These under appreciated creatures are very important to our ecological system….keeping our environment clean in their unique way by eating carrion.

Vulture Wisdom
You remind us to question our assumptions and to uncover unique gifts and qualities.

V is for Vulture
Misunderstood.
Not a predator. A scavenger.
Gentle, craving communion.
One of earth’s cleaners.
Your unorthodox hygiene is an adaptation for survival.
Under appreciated, yet, regal.
I respect you.
May you soar.
V.
~Stacey Hayes

V Wings

A Few Turkey Vulture Facts
Vultures actually do not build nests and usually lay two eggs per brood.
They have a keen sense of smell.
Vultures can live up to 15 years in the wild.
They use thermal currents to ”float” high in the sky, which requires them to expend minimal energy.
They can be migratory or year round depending on climate.
Although classified as a raptor, they are more related to storks.

For more information:
http://www.kern.audubon.org/tvfacts.htm
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/lifehistory

Crouching

Is there an under appreciated or misunderstood fellow creature that you would like to learn more about? What wisdom may it offer you?

All Seasons

Nature’s Hearts

Stacey Hayes

I enjoy looking for patterns and shapes in nature when walking and playing outside with my son. It’s a different way of seeing.

The woods behind our house recently surprised me with many heartleaf plants (Hexastylis arifolia), which are evergreens found on forest floors.

I was inspired to look for more hearts in nature. It took close observation, but I discovered them in unexpected places.

I was reminded that hearts come in many different configurations, states, shapes, and sizes. These are some of the photos that I took over the past month.

A lone heartleaf that found a home among the moss.
A duo of hearts…imperfect and a bit tattered, yet, comforted by each other.
A community of hearts, congregated together and enjoying the warmth of the sun.
A frosted heart. Kissed by the snow.
Ivy hearts trailing up a stump.
A heart on the inner bark of a tree.
A once hidden heart now revealed.
A granite heart, held and cherished.
A river rock shaped over time by the flow of water.
Hearts celebrating and connected as one.
Sketch of a hickory nut heart.

What shapes or patterns do you notice in nature? Are there hearts in your neck of the woods?

All Seasons, Nature & Me

Peace in Presence & Patterns

Stacey Hayes

Taking a moment on a regular basis to be fully present to the natural world around you will not only fine-tune your observation skills but will foster peace within yourself. This practice can also enhance your connection with and empathy for nature. Extend your practice of witnessing by recording your observations and thoughts visually and through words.

“Finding Peace in Presence & Patterns” is a Soulful Seasons Guide that takes inspiration from mindfulness, which in its simplest form is being attuned to the present moment. This guide is also inspired by phenology—the observation of patterns in nature throughout the seasons of the year.

This is an example of how to make a simple record of observations in nature. I created this during the fall and revisited it a few months later. I was again delighted by what I had witnessed and grateful for the nature around me, especially the dragonfly migration (which I had forgotten about!).

If you would like to explore mindful observation and phenology as a personal practice, learn more about the Soulful Seasons Guide “Finding Peace in Presence & Patterns” below.

By offering our calm presence to nature, we can foster peace within ourselves and deepen our intimacy with the natural world around us. Drawing inspiration from mindfulness and phenology (the study of patterns in nature), this guide walks you through the heart-felt practice of observing, visually recording, and reflecting on your experience in nature.

Subscribe to the Soulful Seasons Newsletter below to receive this guide as a free gift. A welcome email will be sent to you with a link to the downloadable PDF file.

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All Seasons

Wisdom Word

Stacey Hayes

In a word. Cultivate.

January invites us to both reflect and look forward with its freshness and hope. Some people may make resolutions, goals, or set intentions for the coming months. This year I’ve decided to choose a “Wisdom Word” that will root, guide, and inspire me this year as I move through everyday life.

I love language, and there have always been certain words that speak to my heart. Some of these include connect, create, and inspire. Looking back, my life has been guided by these words, especially when I have taken care of myself and had the time and energy to engender connection, creation and inspiration.

In busy times, chaotic times, transition times, or times of grief, these words have taken a back seat. During these seasons, I gave myself the grace to be gentle with myself and focus on only what was needed. But even in those times, connection sustained me.

Connection has always been important to me. Connection with my truest self, having genuine and authentic connections with others, and connecting in an intimate way with the natural world around me. When I am present and open, I see the people, animals, trees and plants for their true nature and feel connected to all.

This year, the word CULTIVATE speaks to me and will be my Wisdom Word. Cultivate is a derivative of the Latin colere “to practice, respect, tend, guard” (Online Etymology Dictionary). Cultivate has several definitions all of which reflect my values.

Cultivate:
“to prepare and use for the raising of crops”
“to foster the growth of”
“to improve by labor, care or study”
“further, encourage”
“to seek the society of : make friends with”

Merriam Webster

These meanings inspire me…to cultivate growth in myself, to cultivate curiosity and learning as I homeschool my child, to cultivate deeper relationships with family and friends, to cultivate my desire to honor nature, and to cultivate the Soulful Seasons community.

An Invitation to Choose Your Wisdom Word

Would you like to have a wisdom word this year?

Think of a few words that have special meaning for you. They may be active, descriptive, or a noun.
Invite those words to be present in your heart and mind.
Does one of the words speak more loudly or resonate more harmoniously with you?
Maybe the word chooses you?

You could explore the word more deeply by looking up its defnition or etymology. Or, take a moment to journal about the word and what it may mean in your life. You could also create an image (drawing, collage, or photo) that represents or expresses your Wisdom Word more fully.

Does your Wisdom Word reflect your values?
Does it root you?
Does it guide you?
Does it inspire you?

Your Wisdom Word may guide you for a month, a season, a year, or for a particular life transition.
It need not be limiting or confining….just a gentle guide that is present with you as you move through the days.

Download the Wisdom Word Guide

Download PDF
All Seasons, Nature & Me

The Beach Speaks.

Stacey Hayes

The beach soothes my soul. This is what it spoke to me recently.

I have always loved the beach.

As I’ve gotten older, I especially appreciate coastal areas during the fall. I don’t see the typical fall changes such as squirrels scurrying to bury acorns or the changing of leaf color, but there is a distinct shift that happens at the coast. Plants and trees make seeds. Butterflies migrate south along coastal edges, and the weather is cooler. Recently in South Carolina, the beach spoke to me in several ways.

The Presence of a Squareback Crab

This little crab, no more than 2 inches wide, sat with me for awhile at the edge of the ocean. It offered its presence, and I offered it protection as busy beachcombers walked by. The little crab’s wisdom was to notice and appreciate the small creatures.

Abundance in Scarcity

I love shelling. There were very few shells at the beach I visited, and most were very small. However, this lack of abundance helped me to appreciate what I did find. I was also more discerning of which shells I kept. The shells reminded me to take only what I need, for the hermit crabs need shells too.

Sea Star Washed Ashore

I saw a few starfish that had been washed ashore by the tide and needed help getting back to water. A few only had four arms. I learned that starfish can regenerate; however, it can take a few months or years to regrow an arm. The starfish whispered, “You can rebuild and regrow, but it may take a long time.”

“Grandpa’s Beard”

In the coastal areas of the Southern US, Spanish Moss abounds. It is not parasitic but serves as a home for snakes, several types of bats, and spiders. Spanish Moss can be very unusual and beautiful. It said, “I provide shelter to often feared but vital creatures.”

The Moon Always Rises

The full moon rose while I was on the beach. It was October’s Hunter Moon. Its grandeur reminded me to take comfort in earth’s rhythms and cycles. The sun rises and sets. The tide flows in and out. The moon waxes and wanes. Each and every day.

Nature teaches and attunes me to my inner wisdom.
What do you notice outside your window?
Is nature whispering wisdom to you?
Is there a place or landscape that awakens your soul?