Wheel of The Year

The Wheel of the Year is a foundational part of how I live and make art. My creative life is most potent and catalytic when I work within the framework of the seasons. I come from a Celtic tradition, which honors the annual cycle of seasonal festivals consisting of the year's chief solar events (solstices and equinoxes) and the midpoints between them. Observing and living in rhythm with nature is essential to our health and well-being. But it’s also essential for our creative health and prowess.

I was eleven years old the first time I ever saw this image. The Wheel of the Year, separated into eight distinct seasons on the Celtic calendar made immediate sense to me. At the time, I was also struck by the profound beauty of the wheel itself. Years don’t begin and end. They are infinite. It completely shifted the way I think about time. It also shifted the way I thought about beginnings and endings, births and deaths.

My Creative Alchemy Cycle offering is intimately connected to this cycle and built upon the eight major Celtic holidays. When we experience life through the context of a circle, we are reminded that we’ve been here before and we’ll be here again. Each phase of the cycle is just as important and as necessary as the next and is weighted evenly. This cyclical image helps me to remember that both life and loss, joy and grief, birth and death are necessary and transformative pieces of my our journey.

My newest piece in the print shop is my own version of the Celtic Wheel of the Year. I wanted a vibrant mandala that focused on the landscapes and natural elements of each season. This piece is now available in my print shop. You can hang it in any configuration you like!

In a world where we are constantly bound to time, clocks, and deadlines, the Wheel of the Year offers an antidote to superlative thinking and limiting beliefs. The wheel is ever turning. Each phase is an opportunity to practice (once again) living in relationship with each other and with the world around us.