Seasonal Gifts - Exploring Creativity with Natures Rhythms
December, 2025
“ In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”
- Albert Camus
Sitting cold yet comforted with a blanket inside the walls of a sunshine soaked living room, I find myself cosy - contented with both coolness of shadow and warmth of light. After a dynamic travel-filled 2025 I sit here cosy, cradled by snow capped mountains rising alongside the sun drenched valley of Valais Switzerland insisting that I too attempt to pause and rest in the silence of stillness as signs of natures cyclical phase of ‘death’ greet me in its wintry embrace. This year, participating in the cosmic dance of duality through experimental geographical adaptation has been a consistent threaded theme, one of which has given me a greater appreciation for what the essence of seasonality symbolises. Throughout journeying over land and sea with a packing priority of minimalism and mindful holistic practice tools, I have learned to trust that even if I feel as though I am not fully ‘equipped’ with the voyage ahead, that there will always be an opportunity to access and attain what it is I truly need at any given time - ready for me to accept to receive to then be ready to let go and return for the next recipient. The infinite presence of cyclical wisdom taught by nature and her seasons, is that of consistent pattern of change in the natural world is one that can guide us into embracing the process of our own ‘seasonal’ evolution.
[*Sign-up to the December edition of KiMaya Journals Newsletter for practical, experimental and inspiring ways to explore your mindfulness practice here. ]
May this article provide simple suggestions from the cyclical cycles I’ve found myself exploring that encourage you to re-engage with and respond to the seasonal gifts that location and climate offer - wherever you may be in the world !
a winter intention…
dive into the multi-dimensional depths of your chosen activities, illuminating endeavours & slow burn rituals.
kitchen endeavours - thankfully there are an infinite source of online recipes that cater to all levels of cooking experience. The adventure of experimenting with a creative process that tests patience, technique yet also encourages creative flair can without doubt be approached as a deep practice of mindfulness. Cold weather invites us to go deeper inward and into the heart of the home. Inviting warmth and nourishing recipes through foods that replenish stomach, soul, and that calls for the use of the beloved oven - and with it a possibly longer and more tedious recipe. This December I am experiencing my first winter festive season, already having experimented with more spice-filled, decadent recipes within the first week - I am reminded of the timeless teacher that the creative process weaves through the artistic expression that cooking provides space for. Nevertheless the ‘journey’ of trusting that a ready-made recipes guide of ingredients and method will produce the outcome expected have allowed me to observe; the ripple effects of inner trust and resilience that self-practice builds, and how these beneficial effects can subtly filter into our daily duties we find ourselves faced with. Maybe there is a universal truth that stems from the language of food and its diverse cultural preparations. Maybe it is simply an offering to enjoy the process involved in allowing ourselves to bring presence in order to… dare to taste and explore the guided steps and given culinary tips along the way before the dish is ‘ready’.
a spring intention…
a journey of studentship, following the path of curiosity & daring to bloom.
An overland expedition - whether planting a seed of self-sustenance through academic study, artistic mastery or experiential worldly exploration, there is something universal about ‘travelling’ a new route that requires a longevity-based approach akin to a marathon runner as opposed to a sprinters mindset. As the period of potential presents itself like the sprouting of new green shoots ready to grow into bloom, so does the season of beginnings stirs our inner calling to spring into action - to start and to spiral skyward towards renewal and growth. May this transitional period bring action via intentional movement towards the desire that is waiting in ready to be practically researched. After an Australian summer I had found myself on route to a European spring and summer, initiating a new project (more info here) that revolved around an electrically powered vehicle to road-trip from Switzerland to Romania, Bulgaria and across the black sea to Georgia. It was a new route and path to meet kind strangers turning to friends along the way, to have the chance to witness the growth of gardens tended to through foundations of personal and societal hardship. So, no matter the project, assignment, invitation or training course - let this seasonally supported window be the leap of faith you’ve been yearning to say a whole body yes to!
a summer intention…
expanding the energy of the heart through the hands, connecting to the natural world and others nearby & remembering to take a moment to let love in.
Community collaborations - coming together for a common cause with like-minded or like-hearted individuals embodies the solar powered warmth of energy symbolised by the brightest star of all, the sun. As clear skies and longer days grow in presence, life encourages the coming together through consciously connected gatherings and meetings. When choosing to share our own individual ‘light’ of ideas and skills with the world around us, we can truly reach out and share resonance upon the beautiful bedrock that social gatherings build upon. As this transformational window of bright exchanges burns with passion and pleasure, we are reminded to bring balance and breathing space for this gesture of outer connection. Managing to come back into a calm, grounded place connecting with our ‘inner candle' of solo experience before waiting for the sense of ‘burn-out’ to come is one way to manage this time of frequent and planned energetic exchange. The seasonal gift of summer warmly invites the opportunity for us to truly show-up with what we have integrated from winter and intentional seeds sown and grown since spring, and to lean in with love in celebration of what it means to learn with and from each other. Believe in your light of love and choose to contribute with strangers or friends also looking to share their energetic signature to the campfire of the collective (be it at your next online class, book club, barbecue, team practice, local recreation/arts hub, social gathering or play date) - Enjoy !
an autumn intention…
Scheduling moments of pause within sacred structures, releasing internal and external clutter & being with breath.
D.I.Y - following the season of excitable social activity and expansion comes the crisp air of a transitional window that sees the shedding leaves and excess coats of the natural world fall, serving as a reminder that we too are ready to release the obligations and objects that no longer resonate and that have expired. For some, a sense of catharsis can result from clearing full calendars, culling what feels like excess in order to welcome space for pause now closer in reach. Like a bodily sense of emptiness that follows an extended exhale, natures invitational inhale fully arises to in turn activate the creative curator within ! Embarking on a ‘Do-It-Yourself’ project may be the very thing that helps draw us back into respite with ourselves, to recollect our energies to pause in presence with our process before taking action. That is, nourishing actions that fill our personal cup and not necessarily the ‘cups’ of others. By re-gathering dispersed attention to instead anchor with awareness to the body, to self-express what is deep inside through the somatic bridges of applied concentration, breath awareness and mindful activity - we can support the renewal and replenished state that softens the chill of the coming winter. When riding the winds of autumnal changes, of ‘releasing’ on an emotional, physical and energetic level - it is through the bodies instinct, insight and through the senses that further nurtures the cyclical process while ‘letting go’. This can be an empowering and autonomous act of cultivating a sense of Self-leadership for the more silent and possibly solitude filled moments of the winter ahead. Resourcefulness through recycling, up-cycling, innovating and altering pieces that is of no use allows space for both grief and gratitude to be embodied through this sharp yet sensitive transitional window. May this be an enriching season of fulfilment when gathering materials needed to make whatever the project is, from scratch :) For example when creating personal products for bathing and anointing I find that each step of the creation process infuses the end result with more respect and gratitude for the efforts and energy required to bring together and harmonise raw materials. Collecting the ‘gardens harvest’ of experiences, skills and fruitful bounty while cultivating and caring the soil for the seeds to come mirrors the reward of gathering all that has been learned since the initiation of spring time. So for it to be ready to ‘harvest’, and reap the rewards of putting what has been gathered and learned into good use. Let the balanced scale of both discipline and devotion guide you further into your craft of choice as you; develop the foreign language practice recently started, continue crocheting the blanket long envisioned from the basket of wool hiding in the closet, create the scented candle curated to your aroma preferences, unbox the calligraphy set, collect the dried herbs and flowers to make the personalised smudge stick for your home. To ‘do it yourself’ means that you are investing your time and energy towards a task, so - dare to enjoy the process while doing so !
~
Throughout my travels I continue to notice that no matter the landscape of language or terrain I pass through, both people and culture are deeply shaped by the direct surrounding environment - as if carved by its adaptation in response to both softness and strength no matter how harsh or serene it may be. The lens through which I perceive travelling is undoubtedly enriched by linking elemental qualities and characteristics of geographical and social climates - this brings me joy as I lean into the state of surrender towards the process that the teachings of travelling provides and the constant reminders that we are all together in sharing this wild experience of being human. Despite the daily reminders that choose to focus and highlight on what divides and separates us all, I am grateful for the humbling mundane yet magical moments that call for my attention if I am willing to see. These moments most often come in the form of witnessing the integrity, kindness and willingness of others to show-up unapologetically and in same measure the beautiful moon, sunrise and sunset that serves to bring light to all. Acknowledging that we are all made from natures elements, I hope to continue following the path of curiosity towards the rhythms and patterns of the natural world so that I in turn can be awed and (patient) with my own and of others’ process of evolution.
No matter the season of life we are in, may we all strengthen our access to both light and shadowy facets of ourselves so that they can serve each other in union - gifting our own experience and the exchanges we bring to the world around us with true coherence and presence.
Written by Frances Webster.
