Beltane, the Wheel of the Year, and the Magic of Seasonal Living

As I write this, today marks Beltane in the Northern Hemisphere.

I recently came across a beautiful seasonal calendar called the Wheel of the Year — and it’s shifted how I experience the seasons, especially the harder ones.

Why I Struggled with Winter — and How Seasonal Living Changed Everything

For most of my life, I really struggled with winter and the colder months. I’d wake up in the dark and return home in the dark. The cold and lack of light felt completely at odds with how I wanted to be. I often felt like curling up in a blanket and doing nothing — but that was hard to allow with my usual workload and to-do lists.

Growing up in California, I was used to sunshine — day after day. The sun energized me. So when I moved to the Netherlands a few years ago, it was quite a challenge.

Here, it feels like most of the year is wet, gloomy, and cold. The winters stretch on. By February, even a moment of sunshine is enough to make people pause and soak it in — because it most likely won’t last.

Eventually, I came across something that changed everything for me: seasonal living. And even more transformative was discovering the Wheel of the Year. 

I had never really explored the deeper seasonal living meaning until then — that our lives, like nature, move in cycles too.

What Is the Wheel of the Year? A Nature-Based Approach to the Seasons

The Wheel of the Year was created relatively recently — in the 1970s or so — by blending two ancient systems: the Celtic calendar and the solar calendar of solstices and equinoxes.

It’s celebrated by people across many spiritual paths — from pagans to those who simply want to live more in tune with nature.

At its heart, the Wheel of the Year is about seasonal living — marking time through natural shifts in light and energy, and aligning ourselves with the rhythm of the Earth.

It follows eight points in the seasonal cycle, spaced about six weeks apart. Each one marks a transition and carries its own unique energy:

•  Imbolc – February 1st 
•  Spring Equinox – March 19th/20th/21st 
•  Beltane – May 1st 
•  Summer Solstice – June 20th/21st 
•  Lammas – August 1st 
•  Autumn Equinox – September 21st/22nd/23rd 
•  Samhain – October 31st–November 1st 
•  Winter Solstice – December 20th/21st/22nd
   

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The Wheel of the Year — a sacred rhythm that honors the Earth’s natural cycles
and invites us to align with them.

Why Modern Life Feels Out of Sync — and What the Seasons Teach Us

Our culture isn’t designed to flow with nature’s rhythms — and that’s a big part of why I felt so much resistance during autumn and winter. We’re expected to keep the same pace year-round: always producing, achieving, doing.

But nature in the colder months offers a different message. Everything begins to slow down. Animals, insects, plants, and trees start retreating inward or going dormant. The Earth rests.

Meanwhile, we’re entering the busiest season of the year: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, winter holidays, New Year’s. Instead of slowing down, we speed up — shopping, socializing, overdoing.

No wonder we feel overwhelmed or disconnected. We’re not designed to push through the seasons. We’re meant to move with them. 

How I Live Seasonally (And Why It’s Made Me Feel More Aligned)

In the colder months, when I finally allowed myself to slow down and rest, everything began to shift. I started paying attention to my energy. Rather than pushing through, I began embracing the natural ebb and flow of my days — while also tuning in to the larger seasonal energies around me.

It became an act of permission. I no longer forced myself to keep up with the mindset that productivity is always best. Instead, I began choosing alignment.

The Wheel of the Year marks subtle but powerful shifts every six weeks, gently reminding us to look around and notice what’s changing. When we attune to the season we’re in, we feel more rooted — especially in a world that often feels disconnected and overstimulated. 

There’s something powerful about living in tune with nature that brings us back to ourselves.

It reminds us that we’re part of something much greater. We are nature — so it makes sense that life feels smoother when we align with the Earth’s rhythm.

For me, seasonal living has helped me feel more grounded and in tune with myself. It gives me an intentional moment to pause, check in, reflect on the intentions I’ve set, and plant new ones for the season ahead.

Beltane’s Energy: Creativity, Growth, and the Full Bloom of Spring

As we arrive at Beltane — the peak of spring — we’re invited to align with its energy. This is a time of abundance, fertility, and creative renewal. 

The Beltane spiritual meaning centers around growth, creative energy, and celebrating what’s coming into full bloom.

The next time you’re outside, I invite you to pause and notice:
How has the natural world changed? What’s different?

Here in the Netherlands, the shift has been stunning. Within just a couple of weeks, bare branches gave way to fresh green leaves. Wildflowers are blooming across fields. Bees and insects are buzzing, birds are singing and building nests. The air smells different. The days are longer. Everything is waking up. 

At this time, I’m aligning myself with Beltane’s energy — the fullness of spring, the stirrings of creativity, and a deep sense of aliveness.

I try to carve out space to check in with myself, reflect, and journal on what I want to invite in over the next six weeks, until the Wheel turns again.

This season is the perfect time to sow seeds — intentions, dreams, and projects you want to grow between now and Samhain, which marks the beginning of winter.

What the Seasons Taught Me About Light, Darkness, and Inner Balance

I invite you to do the same: flow with the energy of whatever season you’re in — both externally and internally. Notice what shifts when you stop resisting change and begin to move with it.

This is my personal interpretation of the Wheel of the Year and how seasonal living has changed my life. At its core, it’s helped me embrace the dark and light with more wisdom and grace.

And in many ways, it’s been a form of shadow work — learning to honor and integrate the darker seasons, both in nature and in myself. Finding the beauty in rest, stillness, and slowing down. And trusting that the light always returns.

This guide reveals the unique energy and timing of each seasonal festival, helping us live in deeper
alignment with nature.

Journal Prompts to Align with the Season You’re In

1.  What season are you in — not just in nature, but in your own life? 
2.  What would it feel like to stop pushing against it... and start flowing with it? 

If this speaks to you, this is exactly the kind of inner exploration I guide clients through in my coaching practice — through shadow work, self-love, and seasonal rhythm.

You can start exploring this on your own with my free Shadow Work Starter Workbook, or reach out if you feel called to go deeper.

Download the workbook at the bottom of this post. ✨

Feel free to send me a message here if you have any questions or reflections —> Contact Me 💌

With care,
Marika 💛