Rebalancing our Relationship with Nature

Beginning at the start of the Celtic year in Autumn, we will journey throughout an entire year, through all the seasons, observing the equinoxes and solstices, carving out ritual space to enhance our connection to the earth.

Disconnection from the earth and natural cycles lies at the heart of multiple crises – spiritual, psychological, environmental, socio-economic. How can we as Quakers become, as George Fox extolled, 'patterns…examples' for a new paradigm shift towards a earth-centred consciousness grounded in the knowledge of the interconnectedness of all things.

Deep nature-connection enhances wellbeing, supports our self-care, and honors the cyclical ebb and flow of our own energies. We will come into awareness of the seasonal cycles, the elements, and nature-symbolism and how it can relate to our life-journey.

Nature-connection works surprisingly well online, we are all nature, and wherever we are there' always the vastness and majesty of the sky. Come along and give it a try. These gentle, restorative sessions will include guided visualisation and creative activities to explore and reflect together.

1st session: Samhain.

Marking the beginning of the Celtic year and the time when veils between generations are thinnest. Honoring our ancestors and shedding what no longer serves us, creating the compost from which new life can emerge. We are invited to move forward into a period of deep rest through the darkest part of the year.

2nd session: Yule/Mindwinter Solstice.

Marking the return of light to the world as the days begin to grow longer again. An opportunity to descend into stillness, into the earth, deep into the foundations of our being. The demands of our culture make no time for this, especially in the way many now choose to celebrate Christmas. We will nurture new beginnings, hopes, and dream into the new year ahead.

3rd session: Imbolc.

The first day of spring. The end of the hardships of winter. Reverence for the sun and the element of fire. The first stirrings of life within the earth and within ourselves. What seeds do we wish to nurture?

4th session: Ostara/Spring Equinox.

Balanced between winter and summer, where day and night are equal length. The harvest of the heart. A turning point where we can find the strength and inner peace to unlock understanding and emerge into the unknown.

5th session: Beltane.

Welcoming summer, fertility and upcoming abundance. Rekindling our inner fire and tending boundaries. A time of purification and protection through fire, smoke, and ashes. Honoring the needs of our hearts. What is needed in order to step over this threshold into the lighter half of the year?

6th session: Litha/Summer Solstice.

Longest day of the year. Laying aside old patterns and stepping into the new. A path homewards.

7th session: Lughnasadh.

Marking the start of harvest season, a time of abundance and hopeful transformation. Honoring our mother earth and celebrating her fruits and the fruits of our labours. An opportunity to cultivate gratitude.

8th session: Mabon/Autumn Equinox.

Coming full circle to the middle of the harvest period, balanced equally between summer and winter. A time of shifting blockages and deep reflection. Discerning what we need to let go of so that the new can rise from it's rich compost.