Reflecting on the Natural Rhythms of Life

Coming to the end of something meaningful is hard. Some things have us plunge in so deeply that our whole life revolves around it; a relationship, a project, an event, an organisation, a community....

Whatever we’ve committed our time, energy, and love to; that which draws out our passions and causes us to feel our full range of emotions.

Where high investment means high returns. Many needs met through a single endeavour. Many phases elapsed whilst travelling this single path. A purpose that has the power to hold you to it and keep you moving ever onwards despite its mix of emotions. When it’s tough you fall, rise to it, learn and grow, gain satisfaction and appreciation. When it's good you feel like you’re flying, energised for more, and it all feels so incredibly worth the effort.

Home-education Learning Co-operative

This is an accurate description of my experience being a founding member of a deeply meaningful HE learning co-op. It involved relationships, a project for the duration of our children’s childhood, weekly events, building strong community, and organising in a way that supported clarity, equity, and flow.

It began from a spark lit between a group of 7 mums who’d met weekly in a village hall for a year with their children and wanted more. We wanted a home-education hub, a place we could adapt to our own needs, a place of rich resources to stimulate creativity, a place we could call our own, a place where we could belong. We called this ‘Our PACE’, which stands for 'Playful And Collaborative Education'.

This project began in April 2016 and came to an end in December 2019. It was a mutual decision, and it was painful. We ended by hosting our last pop-up café with feasting, games and secret Santa. We had a lot to celebrate!

Reflective Process

One of the roles I gravitated towards was stimulating reflection. I love discovering new and creative ways to gain insights into our actions, both as individuals and as a collective.

One thing became clear soon on which related to the fact we were outdoor based. We had one indoor space, ‘The Messy Fun Hut’, (as named by the children), full of art materials. Other covered spaces included a teepee complete with fire to keep us toasty warm in the winter, an outdoor kitchen created out of pallets, a marquee with sofas, tables, games and toys, plus a library caravan, compost toilet and a small wood. Spending so much time in nature meant we soon adjusted to its rhythms, and became more in touch with our own.

There are a number of models which have been created to represent natural rhythms and when used to support the reflective process can offer us deep insights, and even profound movement in places where we might be feeling lost or in pain. One such model is the Ecocycle Labyrinth.

What I love about this is that it is an embodied practice involving movement. I first walked the labyrinth at an ‘Art of Hosting’ 3-day workshop in London. It had been created by Jon Dorsett using ropes to create an infinity loop and 16 very large emotive photos with a single word on each to give focus.

The idea is to walk the cycle with some aspect of your life in mind; a project, a relationship, a community, etc… allow yourself to become immersed in the feelings that arise in relation to each word, its quality or energy, then move on when it feels right to do so.

Each time you walk around the loop you may want to explore a different quality or stay with a particular focus. For example, you could contemplate how you’ve experienced each phase and ask yourself, ‘Where am I now?’. This helps orientate you and is incredibly soothing for the nervous system and can even give a great sense of satisfaction or relief.

Where are you now?

I really love this analogy because we really aren’t that unlike a flower in its cycle of life, just at a different time scale.

This walk can be prove to be a pretty deep process, especially when it relates to that which is mots precious to us. When I walked the labyrinth for the first time, I remember it felt almost torturous to stand at the ‘unravelling’ stage and acknowledge my part in our projects unravelling. The ‘decay’ stage brought me more in touch with my sadness and I became entirely stuck at the ‘death’ stage.

I’d dropped into a place of grief, and I couldn’t physically move on. It took some time before I could pass my disbelief, acknowledge, and accept that we currently were in this death phase.

Eventually, I was able to move on and experience some relief as I progressed towards the ‘fallow’ stage. We all really did need a rest, in fact we needed to stop, compost, release, just lay everything down, especially ourselves. We needed deep restoration. A fallow period suddenly felt like a blessing.

Cycles within Life Cycles

When I walk the labyrinth now it is easier and I can walk it with my career in mind, our 19 year marriage or other projects. I can see that I’ve passed round the cycle many times over and now each turn adds a new richness and depth beyond the last, ever evolving. I am reasured and it gives me trust in myself and the things I commit to. It’s fun to see what emerges after each new spark and follow its progression through its life cycle.

I love that this model reflects the natural rhythm of life. I also love the way it acknowledges the many iterations that bring us to the person, or place, we are today.