Welcome to the Grow Inward Podcast, I am your host Adrian Petrillo.
I wanted to speak with you today about considering a slightly different perspective when it comes to inner growth and your own personal practice, one in which the seasons themselves are taken under consideration and how we might apply some of the concepts that nature reveals to us via this fascinating process. I find this to be a rather refreshing way to look at the many parallels between nature and ourselves. We are after all very much a part of nature, all of life is weaved into the very fabric of the natural world, and the seasons are a very interesting piece of the unique tapestry of life.
It can be easy to look at the seasons as something unique to nature alone, a process which we are very familiar with but one that we don't often tend to associate with our own lives in any meaningful way. It is after all just another external process that happens outside of ourselves, and we all just adjust accordingly. This is certainly a reasonable approach when taken at face value, but if you look a little closer at all of the threads and different colors that are tightly woven into this tapestry, a very different picture can begin to emerge.
Let's first take a look at the seasons themselves to consider the cycle that they represent for the process of life itself. I believe it is worth noting that life is very much a cycle, in all of its unique and varied forms, and as human beings we are very much a part of this cycle. The seasons can serve as a reflection of this amazing process, one that is revealed to us in a very tangible form which we are able to observe and reflect on from a unique perspective which appears to be very much outside of ourselves, but is it really?
When we look at spring, summer, fall, and winter in the context of a cycle of life, the process is fascinating in the way that it unfolds and works in perfect harmony. Without this process life would be far less interesting. I have often found myself saying how much I love all of the seasons, I like the varied changes that are part of this process and I would not want it to be all the same all of the time. I have heard this echoed by many others as well, and you may be one of them?
Isn't it beautiful to witness the springtime, when the birds are singing and the flowers and trees are in bloom and everything is bursting with life? It really is a magical time of year. As spring begins to fade into summer and the weather is much nicer the entire world seems to come out of its shell to enjoy this amazing time of year, and this can be seen everywhere from animals to gardens to people. We all enjoy the sunlight and the warmth on our skin and the bounty of everything that thrives in this part of the year. Life tends to feel more energized and active overall.
As the summer fades into fall we are given the beautiful gift of long warm days and increasingly cooler evenings and mornings, while the colors begin to change in preparation for the colder months ahead. As the leaves fall and the natural world prepares for a period of dormancy, there is a promise of renewal just around the corner after a long sleepy and slower time of year, one that is the quietest and the coldest of all, silently preparing to begin the entire cycle once again.
If you take the time to observe the seasons, the weather, and the natural world at large, you can see the cooperation that extends out into all forms of life, this massive interactive system that is so elegantly intertwined that it boggles the mind. I invite you to slow down once in a while and take a much closer look at just how amazing this interplay of life and the seasons truly is, set aside the normality of each cycle you are a part of and take a moment to truly appreciate the complexity and cooperation present. It is a remarkably humbling and magical process to say the least, one that isn't always appreciated for all of the different parts that are required or involved.
These cycle of the seasons are both remarkable complex, and yet incredibly simple all at the same time, and this paradox strikes me as one of the most magical parts of life, and it is this very paradox which weaves that element of elegance into this rich tapestry of life that we may not always appreciate as much as we should?
Interestingly, this tapestry of life would be incomplete without observation or experience, and this is where our own lives come into the story. It is our own lives which provide the other aspect of the seasons and cycles, they do after all need to be experienced to be fully appreciated, and in this appreciation we have ever deeper levels which we can explore even further.
It seems as if the life of these cycles exists because we are observing and experiencing them, and in this way we are all very much an integral part of this tapestry. The seasons reach far beyond weather and temperature, they reach into our very lives and deeply affect our own experiences. It's like this beautiful feedback loop that nature has built right into the very fabric of this existence we experience.
Consider how the seasons affect you personally with the four fundamental aspects of yourself. Take a moment to think about each season and how that has an impact on you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. We can all easily identify at least some ways in which the seasons have some kind of impact in each of these areas, they are effectively inseparable in my experience, and this is because of what I had mentioned early on in this episode, we are all weaved into the very fabric of nature. It is part of us, and we are part of it, there is no separation here, only variations of threads and colors. In the end we are all a part of this same tapestry.
When we look to the seasons in nature and how these each have a very different purpose and opportunity to reveal, consider the ways in which these seasons reflect different purposes and opportunities in the way you are living your own life. The effects of each of the four aspects of yourself as an individual present you with unique opportunities for the different seasons of your own life. These don't necessarily need to align perfectly with the weather to see the parallels between the cycles of the earth and the cycles within yourself. There are always parallels that can be drawn, and yet they will always be unique to you and you alone, and here that paradox of complexity and simplicity shows up yet again. Coincidence? Perhaps?
If you dive a little deeper into these different aspects within yourself, you are performing a great service to yourself and this is by definition "inner work" and it is exactly what I always want to encourage you to explore more of. You should take some time to think about these things and consider how both the seasons external to you and the seasons within you as a person affect what you need as a unique individual. It's great to explore these things and really think about them, there is much insight that can be gained by taking the time to go deeper than just a surface level. Don't be afraid to plumb the depths of your own psyche.
When you begin to draw some parallels between the external seasons and your internal seasons and how you are affected by them, you can think about what would benefit you most in each of these seasons or cycles of your own life. There will always be very specific things that you need at different times in your life, and they will ebb and flow just like the external seasons. This is just a part of the process of life, and learning how to ride these tides and make the most of them by diving in a bit deeper can be extremely valuable and beneficial for many people.
We too are all filled with complexity and simplicity within ourselves, and we all require different things that will serve our highest and our best. I invite you to find your unique needs and find ways to weave those needs into your practice the best that you can. Remember that your practice can be any part of your life, these needs can be implemented in any number of meaningful ways into your everyday life, so don't feel as if you are limited in how these can be applied in ways that can benefit you greatly.
I do find that many of the internal needs which we all have in different seasons of our life can be addressed and integrated quite effectively in a yoga and meditation practice. I say this because these particular practices lend themselves to a reflective nature which is where we often integrate them most effectively, but they are by no means your only options as I have already said. I only offer them as a suggestion from my own experience as a wonderful place to begin and continue your own inner work.
In consideration of your own personal practice, whatever that consists of, try to be very conscious of your unique needs in each season and cycle of your life and welcome these into your practice the best that you can.
Something I would recommend which is universal to everyone, and that I stand by whole heartedly, is to try to weave more time in nature into your own life in all seasons. Think of your time in nature as a time of connection, contemplation, and healing for yourself. It benefits you in so many wonderful ways and I just could not recommend it enough. It is so important that you take time for yourself, disconnect from your busy life and electronics more often and spend some time in nature to connect with something more. I promise that you will never regret doing this.
I know this was a bit more of philosophical discussion on todays episode, but it is something that I have considered a great deal on my own journey. Nature has always held a special place in my own heart, and I have always felt this connection between the earthly seasons and the seasons within my own self, and I just wanted to share this different perspective with you to try in your own life. All of life is connected, and there is no reason that we can't draw these kinds of parallels between the external and the internal in this way. I think it is a fun exploration and one that I highly recommend you try, and I would love to hear your unique spin on this idea or any others that you have found useful in your own life. If you would like to share, please use the link in the show notes below.
Until next time, never underestimate the power you have within you, and keep growing inward.
