Inner Seasons

We women are cyclical beings, living in a world that doesn’t cater so much to our cyclical nature. When you think of yourself as a cyclical being I really think it changes the way that you view your life. You see yourself through another set of glasses. One that really gives you a clearer vision about what might be going on.

We have seasons of life, seasons in our menstrual cycles, seasons in our energy cycles, seasons in our sexuality, seasons in our orgasm. Our bodies and our sexuality are just like nature. We are cycles within cycles within cycles.

In the seasons of our life there is a developmental task associated with each stage. In Spring, our teenage years, our task is to explore the world and ourselves while being protected by community. In Summer, which is often our 20s and 30s, our task is to express our spirit in the world. This shows up in many ways, having babies, in pursuing our career, in attaining recognition for our work and what we create ad put out into the world. A big part of this stage is saying yes to life with great vitality behind us. In Autumn, our perimenopause phase, our developmental task is to discern truth within ourselves, to stay present and to learn to be kind to ourselves. It is not surprising at this stage many people are faced with working through old trauma, slowing down because their body tells them through physical health issues and learning to create a more grounded relationship with their emotions and how they express them. In Winter, our developmental task is to let go, to rest, receive and to trust.

In our second spring, which is post menopause, our developmental task is to explore ourselves in the world in a new way and be tender. When we don’t move through these tasks or work them out, they hang around for the next phase. For example, if a teenage girl grows up in a very strict family environment where she is unable to explore herself in many facets, she will likely go a little nuts when she leaves the family circle. When we cannot fully engage with the developmental task, the urge will still be there. Many of us know this where we put off having babies to our late 30s, early 40s, the longing is there. This is common now days and it means many women experience there Summer activities in there autumn, it all gets squished together, we become tired and burned out.

When our desires are not met in the life season they continue into the next season and this is where it can hurt.

Spring

Energetically it is about growth, rising energy, creativity, upward movement and feeling hope. Sexually spring is about learning new things, being playful, experimental, feeling impulsive and adventurous. Spring is the maiden, our adolescent years and our second spring in our midlife years.

For the maiden energy spring is about stepping out in the world and the onset of menstruation. Tender self-confidence and blossoming sexuality arise, the Maiden is in charge of herself and beholden to no one. She can experience conflict between her growing independence and the pressures of adulthood coming our way. There is much exploration of pleasure, sensuality and sexuality.

In the second spring, many women have passed through innocence and have harvested enough life experience that they have a greater sense of self and their place in the world. This woman has individuated as an adult, knows her limits and is discerning when it comes to where and with whom she spends her time. Many women report coming into maturity in their sexuality in this time. The second spring women finds freedom and confidence to say, loud and clear, what she likes and does not like sexually. She may be comfortable with sexual practices she once thought were risque.

In our menstrual cycle it is about our week after bleeding where we feel our energy start to rise, we have heightened awareness of self and others, we feel more hopeful. Creativity and inspiration arrive. Post menopausal women have the same energy and heightened awareness.

In orgasm it is about getting turned on, feeling pleasure building up inside of you. You can get stuck in this spring energy, when you get really turned on but don't move into the orgasm experience.

In life we can get stuck in Maiden energy. Constantly seeking newness. New things, looking younger, wanting to stay young. When we embark on an adventure in life whether it be travelling, an entrepreneurial challenge, our change in direction, Maiden energy is invoked and can be really helpful.

Summer

Summer is high energy, mastery, expansion, action and achievement and getting things done. It is a creative boom, fiery yang energy. We all have times in life energetically where we are just ON. Whether it is being productive, being totally on top of stuff, an awakening of self spiritually, emotionally, physically or mentally.

Sexually it is orgasm energy, you are turned right on and you want sex. In the orgasm cycle it can show up as waves of pleasure, a full on explosion. luscious intimate pleasure. You can have several orgasms in a single sexual session.

In our menstrual cycle it is ovulation time. We are high energy and magnetic. Our energy is calling others in to notice us.

In our life stages it is the growing of the baby and then once we recover from birth, being the mother. Growing a baby and mothering in general take up a LOT of energy. It can also be a time just before we begin perimenopause, where we may be experience hormonal surges and feel very horny and very fertile. Many women report feeling super sexually confident at this time. We want to express ourselves in the world. Through our career, receiving recognition for our work, maybe we have babies too. Everyone’s creative self expression is unique to them. This is the time of our life where we grab life by the horns, so to speak, and go for it with a huge amount of vitality.

We can get stuck in Summer energy. Hey the culture in our world is kind of stuck there don't you think. Summer peaks and we peak, time to slow down. One cycle ends, move into harvest then time to rest and rejuvenate.

Autumn

Autumn is a time to start to slow down. It is the time to harvest. It is often a time of deep change. There may be grief and sadness. We cannot cling to our summer times, we need to slow down.

In our menstrual cycle it is the week or so prior to bleeding. A time when our estrogen declines and we see things more clearly. We may experience emotional swings as our body tells us what we need to express, maybe things we have let go in the haze of high estrogen, where we smoothed over situations where maybe our boundaries where infringed.

In life stages it is the perimenopause journey through to post menopause. Midlife. A great inner journey of harvest, choices, and discernment. It is a transition where we review all aspects of our lives, cultivate all of our life experience, do some deep healing work. Letting go of parts of ourselves we don't need anymore, so can we step toward and into our wise woman power. The hormonal changes require us to listen deeply to our body and review our lifestyle, our diet, our exercise how we manage stress, our sleeping patterns. To work through what we need to change, so that we can set ourselves up to live well in our second half of life. A time of relfection, review, shedding, letting go, death and rebirth. Like the snake shedding its skin or the caterpillar morphing into a butterfly.

Sexually we can do deep inner healing work, confronting our belief systems, de-armouring our body. In our orgasm, it is the experience after orgasm where you drop back into your body. Rest, heal and integrate.

We can get stuck in Autumn if we don't slow down and do the healing, rest, review and integration work. If you get stuck in summer and don't acknowledge to yourself that winter is coming, you will linger in a strange end of summer phase. Burn yourself out or, miss the opportunities for change, personal learning and growth that Autumn offers you.

Winter

Winter energy is all about rest, slowing down, going inward and integrating. Giving yourself time to just be. Rest is an important part of our erotic practice and important for our health. It gives us time to rejuvenate and heal. Our body needs good rest to renew.

We have times in life when we come into an energetic winter where we need to rest and not to do much. This may be a week, a month, a few months and for some people they need a year. That is OK.

In our menstrual cycle our winter week is our bleeding week. A time to rest, be quiet, deep yin time.

Sexually our winter is when we don't feel horny and we might not think about sex that much. In your orgasm energy, winter is slow, meditative. A slowdown, you might be finished or you might be building back up to spring again.

In life stages this energy is associated with the Crone the wise elder woman. It can also be associated with post partum and healing from childbirth. These are two stages of life that society does not honour of support well. The young mother nurtures her babies and the Crone with her wisdom, nurtures society. We ignore both in general leaving the mother unsupported in her post partum healing time and the crone becomes invisible.

Post Partum requires rest and support so that the mother can rejuvenate her body and cope with the complexity of the initiation into creating her inner mother. The only requirement of the post partum experience is to BE. Be still, rest, be with the new baby. This can be challenging for many women who have been in a cycle of constant doing. It requires surrender.

As Crones we have gone through the journey of menopause where we have been through a process of paring down; letting go of parts of ourselves we don't need and birthed new parts of ourselves. We acknowledge what we can no longer DO all the time and take the time to focus on what is meaningful for us. The Crone embodies wisdom, she IS the wisdom. Many women in the menopause transition claim their voice as part of their maturing into their wisdom, feeling like they have nothing left to lose they speak their truth, to open up the world as they birth their work which is their soul's journey. Their work focused on supporting society and community.

The modern world does not support winter in any aspect. The constant GO, GO, GO and being on and having to be happy and positive all the time leads to burnout in women. We can get stuck in winter physically and sexually when we are exhausted or when we are hyper critical and judgemental of our sex life. Give yourself permission for your winter.

Rest is part of your erotic practice, when you create space in your life for winter, no matter the reason you will come back stronger in spring. Learning to listen to your body and honour what she needs will help you move through your seasons.

Reclaim your winter!

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