The Aging Bard
Druidic life cycle correspondences
Autumn is my favorite season. I live in New England, where Octobers are painted with maple leaves in shades of pink-gold-orange-scarlet, crimson, and deep purple wine. The air is crisp, the fires are warm, and the hot chocolate is plentiful. What’s not to love?
I don’t love summer. Summer is hot, bright, and loud. There are fireworks, noisy outdoor concerts, and late night parties that end with drunk drivers revving their engines as they speed down my street. The sun sets late and I struggle to rest in the brightness and heat.
These are all practical, tangible things, which I analyze against my innate personality, my fundamental needs and desires. I am an introvert, a homebody, and a morning person. I’m sensitive to sound and heat and I dislike crowds. I seem to exist as an antithesis to summer.
In my study of Druidry, I’ve learned specific correspondences between seasons, elements, colors, foods, symbols, sounds, cardinal directions, and life stages. Summer is fire — the sun at its zenith, high noon, and the “prime of our lives.” Funny, my Ayurvedic practitioner friend just suggested that I have a pitta imbalance — too much fire, which I need to curb. The last thing I need is more fire, so my aversion to summer sounds right for me. Instead, I want mountains of Northeastern snow to…
