Attunement to seasons, not so great?

Just recently I have realised that being in tune with the seasons, although desired, is not actually a lot of good for me.

For the last few years I have suffered from SAD (Seasons Affective Dissorder) and winters have been hard. I realised that one of the reasons I get it now when I never used to is because before I was getting up in daylight every morning whereas now I have to get up in the dark for half of the year.

As pagans the seasons are vitally important, whether you are working on the seasons of the festivals and their story of the god and goddess, or you are attuning to the land.

As modern people the seasons have to be ignored. We get up and go to work at the same time no matter what time of year it is.

Our ancestors came home at twilight and rose at dawn, they worked hard in the summer and less in the winter when the land was asleep.

I have a good friend who has been pagan longer than I have been alive and he suffers terribly in the winter.....

Is this something us pagans have to deal with if we do a 9-5 job? I guess there are many that are lucky enough to work for themselves or in a job that lets them be outside, but for those of us cooped up in a dark office, is it not so great to be so in tune with the seasons?

On a side note, the recent warm spell was well confusing to my seasonal spidy sense... soul is preparing to nestle down in front of the ps3 (my winter hobby), start going to gigs and spend time journalling.... my body was saying "but the sun is shining, you need to be out there soaking up as many rays as possible".....

As much as I hate the winter, my sould is prepared for the good parts of it. Lets just hope they are abundant enough to fill the dark times.

Being attuned with the seasons doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. As you pointed out, your soul was preparing for the good aspects of it. Admittedly, daylight does not effect me as much as it effects many people because I am largely nocturnal. That being said, I am none too fond of winter either and would prefer to live in a location where the seasons do not shift as much as they do in my present location (I don't much enjoy getting burned in summer either). But I do appreciate the wheel of the year and the changes it brings. Try to look at the positive aspects of each season and to breathe and move with the balance of the year. I know its hard sometimes. I hope that helps a little.

I don't understand why a Pagan would suffer in Winter. I think the cultural negativity about Winter is getting to them and tainting their appreciation for the season, honestly. People $#@% and whine about the Winter season unnecessarily. What really irks me about this is that as modern folk, we really have no good reason to $#@% about it. Our ancestors routinely faced the very real threat of starvation and freezing to death in Winter. Us? We're bloody spoiled! The things of Winter that we $#@% about are self-imposed inconveniences, like "having to" shovel driveways or "having to" drive to work. Nonsense!

We've little to no reason as spoiled modern folk to not enjoy the wonders of Winter. Winter is my favorite season, actually, and I love snow. It's beautiful and has so many mysteries to teach!

I get what you're saying, Quint. I think everyone has favorite and least favorite seasons. And winter certainly has many profound lessons to impart. It is also very true that our ancestors faced a much harsher physical reality than do presently -- in all seasons, not just winter.

Just the same, I have seen the negative effects on people with S.A.D. and feel that perhaps their bodies have a difficult time balancing on the wheel of the year. In, other words, they get locked into chemically relating to the remaining three seasons and can't complete the cycle. Obviously, that's just a personal opinion but I recognize the struggles of those who are so effected. As I said, winter is not my favorite season... although I can still appreciate it.

As far as cultural negativity, there is a great deal of that (not just pertaining to weather) and I strongly feel that humanity should be working together collectively to render these societal taboos obsolete.

I understand completely as at times I could crawl out of skin during the winter months. Living in Maine provides many opportunies to snowshoe and such, however I need to connect to the earth *literally* I know this may sound awkward, but I keep a tote of garden soil. When the need arises I go play in the dirt! On occasion I have used it for meditation. Standing in the dirt, envisioning my feet as roots.
I also do not have a widow in my office, so I made one. Used an old window frame, sunny blue wallpaper, and placed shutters on each side. I then placed a lined window box beneath it and planted flowers. And as for the horrid fluorescent lights...I refuse to turn them on, instead brought in a couple of lamps.
I know that these options aren't for everybody, but our mental health is to important to ignore. I really love living my lifestlye and being intune with the seasons. Sometimes I just have to be creative.
I wish you well and hope you find some solstice. As always~ Bright Blessings

Being in tune w/ the seasons is about being connected w/ what is actually happening, not what we think should be happening. Appreciate the natural ebb & flow.

Maybe appreciating that winter is a vital energy phase for many things can be useful to shift your negative feelings about it (if you want to). It’s similar to our nighttime sleep. Necessary, restorative, nourishing.

Originally Posted by feralfae

As far as cultural negativity, there is a great deal of that (not just pertaining to weather) and I strongly feel that humanity should be working together collectively to render these societal taboos obsolete.

That would be awesome. A good place to start is with our nation's local weather people.

It's funny how much more I bemoan the constant negative references to particular types of weather after becoming more nature-centered.

Originally Posted by Quintessence

I don't understand why a Pagan would suffer in Winter. I think the cultural negativity about Winter is getting to them and tainting their appreciation for the season, honestly. People $#@% and whine about the Winter season unnecessarily. What really irks me about this is that as modern folk, we really have no good reason to $#@% about it. Our ancestors routinely faced the very real threat of starvation and freezing to death in Winter. Us? We're bloody spoiled! The things of Winter that we $#@% about are self-imposed inconveniences, like "having to" shovel driveways or "having to" drive to work. Nonsense!

We've little to no reason as spoiled modern folk to not enjoy the wonders of Winter. Winter is my favorite season, actually, and I love snow. It's beautiful and has so many mysteries to teach!

I get the impression you are the kind of person that tells someone with depression to snap out of it. I also feel you have little understanding of what SAD is. This is not just me $#@%-ing.

SAD is caused by 2 things.

Firstly it is about not getting enough sunlight so the body cannot create Vitamin D3. Our ancestors would be outside much more than us because it was necessary to survive. Fetching water, fetching firewood, emptying the night-soil bucket. I sit in a strip-light lit office all day.

Secondly, it's about circadian rythmes. This is the body's response to day length. We are programmed to rise at dawn and turn in at sunset. I am already getting up in the dark and will be going home from work in the dark in a few weeks.

I take a LOT of Vit D3 along with magnesium to aid uptake (yes I have researched this), this helps with moods.

I use a SAD lamp at 7am in the morning to help kick start my brain as my ancestors would still be asleep at this time as it is dark. I am supposed to use it at 6.00am but I simply can't face it then.

Interestingly I love the snow too as it raises the light levels because it often comes with clear skies and it reflects the sun.

Having done medaeivil reenactment and studied the era I am fully aware of how horrible, cold, damp and miserable the winter was back then, and worse even further back. But maybe because they were able to live lives in tune with the seasons they were more able to deal with it. Whereas I have worked to be in tune with the seasons but the need to work 9-5 has forced me to live out of tune with the seasons.

My question was, is this something that pagans find more prevalant than those that have no regard for the seasons at all?

[norseman]

Genetically, mankind is designed around the Wheel of the Year - it is our natural environment.

Sungirl, I meant no personal offense to you and I'm sorry if it came off that way. I get a bit passionate about the topic. O_O; I'm aware that SAD has been determined to have the external causes you mentioned, but I also wonder if at least some of it is psychological. The way you framed your question made me think about that, since it is a possible reason that Neopagans would have more cases of SAD (e.g. greater attunement to the seasons = more SAD).