As a homesteader, you may be familiar with cyclical living in some aspects. You may grow a garden and understand that tomatoes are not available all year round. However, it affects so much more than what food is available when! The lunar cycle, the phase of our bodies, and the season of our lives all impact our day to day living on the homestead. I’ll even tell you how to use the moon cycle to plant your seeds!

Eating seasonally is something I strive for but find it difficult living in the Northeast with a shorter growing season. If you purchase those tomatoes in the winter, they likely are not as flavorful and have a thicker skin-hybridized for long travel. Unless my garden is very plentiful and I’m really on my game with preservation, I do end up leaning on stores in the winter, like ya do. But even then I tend to eat more crispy lettuce and peas in the spring, fresh fruit in the summer and starchy potatoes and squash in the winter. Eating seasonally is only one aspect of cyclical living however!

Currently, I’m listening to Kate Northrop read her book “Do Less”, which is very enlightening for this homesteader. In it she explains how much we are affected by the phases of the moon, so much so that women who spend more time outside will have cycles that ovulate with the new moon and bleed with the full moon. Is it no coincidence that our menstrual cycles are roughly 28 days long and the moon cycle is also 28 days? If you are like me and bleed with the new moon, don’t think you are an exception. This is natures design so that in the traditional “village”, where women work, raise children, and essentially live together, some women will be able to take care of the other women when the tampon is in the other lady’s bits.

The phases of the moon not only affect us and our menstrual cycle but every plant, creature, child, and man of this earth. The gravitational pull of the moon creates bigger ocean tides and extreme geological events. How does it then, affect everything else?

Some creatures move with the tides with specialized sensory organs, while others spawn according to the full moon. It affects foraging, migration, and most definitely mood! After all, the word lunatic is derived from the idea that the lunar cycle affects mental state and the full moon drives people, and dare I say everything else, bonkers. My brother-in-law, who is an ER physician, can attest to this.

How does this impact the homesteader in its unique way? Perhaps it is the drive to create a sustainable life and the attention that is paid to our surroundings. Our closeness with our garden and livestock for example. Have you ever noticed how our livestock guard dogs know, by instinct, what is a predator and what is not? Or how a pea tendril finds a foothold on a nearby trellis? Did you know that some plants send out signals in the form of hormones to other plants if they are being foraged upon by a deer? There is constant communication in our world that is not verbal, but unseen and primitive.

“We, are not separate from this environment but very much a part of it.”

We can tap into this unseen world by learning to listen to the inherent wisdom in our bodies that we have ignored in our quest to do and conquer. Feeling into this moment can tell you a lot about how to proceed. Our bodies know because we are connected to this earth as much as the worms in the ground or the trees, birds and oceans. Just like the monthly cycle of our womanhood, or the moon, the earth is on a yearly cycle of rebirth, growth, harvest, and death. Each season brings an essential element to the process.

Often, I find myself dreaming of the garden in the depths of winter. However, it is time for rest and healing. I feel quiet, and reluctant to leave the homestead. By listening to my internal clock and that deep connection with life, I can lean in and let it be. There will be a time when kids are home from school, the weeds are taking over the garden and I need to harvest all the zucchini before they grow astronomically huge. However, the burst of energy I get in the spring continues on through the summer of constant growth. As the harvest wanes, fallow and cozy winter days with a fireside mug of tea and seed catalogues are essential for repair. It is best to be in your season, tuning into nature’s rhythms. By tapping into what our bodies are telling us, we can find more joy and harmony in every day.

On our way to the school this morning I was teaching my 6- and 8-year-old a grounding technique that I use to get into my body. This only takes a short time and really helps take you out of your head. This is the 5 senses method. Inhaling, you focus on one sense, perhaps hearing. Without giving into what the sounds you hear mean, just listen to the sounds that are going on around you. Birds, footsteps, the fish tank filter, whatever. Breathe deeply and let your body relax. Then move onto the next sense. Once you get through all 5 senses; sound, sight, smell, taste, and touch, you will be calm and firmly grounded in the present and better able to listen to the intelligence of your body.

On a more practical note, because we have that to-do list after all, the phases of the moon are very helpful for seed planting. The gravitational effect of the moon pulls on the earth’s water, creating tides, and also draws water toward the soil surface.

The period of time between the new moon and full moon is called “waxing”.

It is when the moons gravitational pull is increasing. This time is best to plant annual flowers as well as plants that will later produce crops above ground (tomatoes, squash, corn, broccoli).

The time period from the full moon to the new moon is called “waning”.

At this time the water that was drawn up is now being pulled back toward the earth. It is the perfect time to plant biennial or perennial flowers, and crops that produce roots for harvest (ginger, potato, radish, carrots).

I encourage you to track your cycle as well as the lunar cycle and make notes about your feelings at the time. While it might not be practical to spend any amount of time a day writing in a journal, I totally get it, using the 5 senses technique and grounding into your body and the moment can be very enlightening. There are free apps to track cycles with options for mood that can help you gain more understanding of your connection to nature. It can give you the power to grant yourself permission to be tired, energized, thoughtful, or even angry and sad. When creating your homestead, you’ll find more joy and harmony knowing how it and we are all wrapped up in this thing together. Now go out and be a lunatic!

With Love

Kelley