“Living in Season” is for anyone who is weary of the frantic pace of modern life, who wants to slow down, connect with the natural world, and live a life filled with heart and meaning. Each season has its own flavor, captured in the folklore of seasonal holidays, preserved in rituals and recipes, ceremonies and songs. This quarterly “Living in Season” e-zine helps you connect with the seasons through our articles, online courses (with suggestions on spiritual practices and creative pursuits that match the energy of each season), books and e-books on time management and the seasons. We’re glad you’ve joined us!  Read More →

CELEBRATIONS

Celebrating Summer Solstice

by Waverly Fitzgerald Photo by Julie Coningham The summer solstice is the time when the sun is in its glory. This is the longest day of the year and the shortest night. The date of the summer solstice varies slightly from year to year. This year it falls on June 21st. Summer solstice customs are also associated with a fixed date: June 24 the Midsummer’s Day. June 23rd is Midsummer’s Eve. As the name “Midsummer” indicates, this is considered... [Read more]

FOOD & DRINK

A Harvest Loaf

by Kate May-Price The colors grow richer in these early fall days – even here in San Francisco, though it pales in the shadow of upstate New York’s autumnal fires. I can still sense the natural rhythm as the weather blows the golden grains on our California hills. It is harvest time, but nowadays it can be hard to see the relevance of ensuring the winter stores. Traditionally, this was a time for reaping grains and preserving the fruits of summer.... [Read more]

SPIRIT OF THE SEASON

The Autumn of Life

by Edia Stanford-Bruce The year I turned 40, I disappeared. It had been coming on gradually, this “fading,” but I waved it away as the mere product of an over-active imagination or peri-menopausal anxiety. The atmosphere in several areas of my life was shot through with an unsettling chilliness and the earth seemed to be holding her breath; waiting for something.  Then, one night, frost hit. The next day, I was “middle aged.” I began to notice magazine covers in bookstore racks. There were articles about how to be a sexy lover; how... [Read more]

CRAFTS

Making a Corn Dolly

By Jo Sullivan When the last fall grain harvest was gathered in, ancient farmers in Europe (from England to the Baltics) always kept a few sheaves aside to be woven into “corn dollies,” shapes and figures thought to manifest the spirit of grain. Called the corn mother in Northern Europe, the hag in Ireland, and the corn maiden in parts of England, the spirit inhabited the fertile fields, and once the grain was harvested, needed a place to dwell... [Read more]

AT HOME

Preserving Summer Herbs

by Erin Fossett September is a month of changes. When our lives were bound more closely to the land, it was a time of hope, and celebration of the harvest. It was also a busy season, as farmers worked feverishly to bring in their crops before the first freeze. There was a feeling of abundance, but also of transition, of letting go.  We still feel it, watching the change of the seasons. The days continue to shorten, leaves change colors, and even... [Read more]

IN THE NATURAL WORLD

Dragonflies in Summer

by Kate Stockman A few years ago, I decided to create an altered book depicting the things I love about summer: the ripeness, the abundance of scents and flowers, the birds and the bees. I found a wonderful book at a thrift store published by the Smithsonian and entitled The Fire of Life. I re-titled it “Summer Solstice.” Some of the pages I left as they were because they were about the summer solstice. Other pages, I altered by covering them with decorative papers, rubber stamp impressions, photos, postcards, calendar art, etc. I even... [Read more]

STAR CYCLES

Mining the Magic of Mercury Retrograde

by Cindy Morris, Priestess Astrologer It feels like Mercury is always going retrograde these days. Things going wrong. Endless juggling of different sized balls. Life generally askew. Every time Mercury goes retrograde (which is three times a year for three weeks at a time) a collective groan can be heard and mournful sighs of: “Wasn’t Mercury JUST retrograde?” Well, it can certainly feel like that, especially in these mercurial times where... [Read more]

SIGNS OF THE SEASON

Mid-August, New York

The old Celtic and Gaelic calendars marked the beginning of autumn at August 1st, and here in farm country that makes a great deal of sense.  While spring has a feeling of galloping joy and summer a tone of happy waiting, now there is a small but noticeable tension.  It’s time to start thinking about the approaching winter – the countdown has begun. The first cutting of hay is in and the second underway, tree fruits are in or waiting, fields and vegetable gardens are bursting with ripening crops.  Even if crops aren’t ready yet,... [Read more]