#2 Ink, cycles & heart notes
On not syncing the outer season | Includes Inner Season journaling page | Behind the scenes
Happy Saturday dear ones!
In today’s letter, I’m going to talk about something difficult to admit…
It took me a bit to recognise I wasn’t syncing - nor feeling - with the current season. First, I thought I was having difficulty navigating the seasonal shift, which is ‘normal’ for me nowadays, so I thought I needed to be gentle and patient with myself. I even wrote a letter not long ago about this seasonal transition 👇
However, if there is something I’ve been learning from cyclical living, it is the importance of recognizing the subtle whispers that come from within, and are often reflected around us (or the other way around applies too). These subtle whispers can be hard to hear, let alone recognize these whispers, and therefore, we require time, patience, and mostly compassion toward ourselves.
As someone with lots of dreams, little patience, and coming out of a heavy cancer journey, there is nothing more I long for than to close this chapter and put it behind me, move forward, and make something of myself and my life. But then, I’m reminded - whether physically or mentally (& emotionally) - that this longing, this wish, is not so easy to realize, to say the least…For those who have gone through this journey or deal with chronic illness and/or trauma, you know what I mean.
Cyclical journaling has helped me a lot in paying attention to patterns and rhythms, which has created an opening to gradually hear those subtle whispers. And here I am, not quite in the Spring Season (yet), I’m (still) wintering, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Meet the inner seasons
Inner Spring (Renewal & Growth)
You feel fresh energy, new ideas emerging, and a desire to explore.
A sense of optimism, possibility, and curiosity arises.
It’s a great time to start projects and plant new seeds in life.
Inner Summer (Expansion & Expression)
You feel full of life, confidence, and outward energy.
Productivity is high, and you crave connection, socializing, and taking action.
Creativity and visibility are natural; this is the season of sharing your gifts.
Inner Autumn (Reflection & Release)
A shift inward begins: you're evaluating, reflecting, refining, and letting go.
You may feel more sensitive, intuitive, or ready to clear out old habits.
A good time for grounding, organizing, and finishing what you started.
Inner Winter (Rest & Deep Renewal)
Energy is low; you crave solitude, stillness, and deep rest.
Introspection, journaling, and dreaming are more appealing than action.
It’s a powerful time for surrendering and preparing for a new cycle.
So, where are you?
I also would like to mention that in my experience, these inner seasons aren’t linear, nor static. With that I mean, that if you feel like you’re in your inner Autumn, the next inner seasons isn’t automatically Winter, or that you continuously are in this inner Autumn season in a fixed matter; you may feel that there are moments or days you shift into another inner season, and then come back this original inner season (or state) or make the final move shifting into another inner season.
Another thing I feel is important to mention is that if our inner season isn’t matching or synchronizing with the outer season, it doesn’t mean that we are doing something “wrong”, or that our goal is to push ourselves into matching the outer season. Life isn’t linear; it’s a cycle, or better said, it’s a spiral, and “the current way of living” is totally out of touch with nature’s cycles.
Each inner season has a unique energy and purpose. When we recognize and honor where we are, we can learn the lessons and move through life with greater ease and confidence
It is difficult for me to write a letter every single week on Substack and be “consistent” the entire time. If I’m honest, I feel like this “demand” for consistency is another way to say or expect from us to be always “on”, pushing us to be in Summer Season all the freaking time. If I push myself to this requirement of writing weekly letters, I’d be ignoring the same thing I’m trying to embody and share with others. It wouldn’t be sincere toward myself or you. The downside of this is not being found, though. Algorithms are created in a way that demands that you and I must be constantly “on” and be consistent the entire time, no matter what. And I don’t agree with that 🫷
And it’s not that I don’t like to write or share, I love doing these things! But I’m still recovering, and even if I want to spend the entire day writing and creating, the reality is that I have little spoons to spend throughout the day, and my energy fluctuates a lot during the moon cycles.
Wanting vs needing
I need time to heal: heal physically from the heavy treatments I went through for more than a year and a half, heal mentally and emotionally from the trauma, because some many call it a roller-coaster, and yes that is true, especially during treatments but you’re left with a heavy trauma that is constantly triggered. There is not a single day that I don’t get reminded of it in one way or another. Healing from the grief of losing a very dear friend to the same illness, while I was going through it as well. And for whoever has gone through such a journey, you know that there is also a lot of healing and grieving involved from the people who don’t understand this/us (anymore), and leave us behind, or we are obligated - for our own sanity - to leave behind as well.
And because of that, I’ll be writing two letters mo(o)nthly, instead of four, and creating more space to read, and actually read other people’s Substack as well 😍, spend time cyclical, creatively, and magically journaling, creating seasonal printables for healing, empowerment, and life design for myself and sharing some in here as well.
The letters I’ll continue writing will be:
A new moon coming your way, including The Lunar Journaling Kit, which I love to make and share and will be available the weekend previous each new moon.
Ink, cycles & heart notes, where I share more personal stuff intertwined with cyclical living, and from time to time will include other journaling pages. This letter will be available on weekends aroud the full moon.
❤️ All journaling pages I create & share are free for all subscribers and will be sent via email only.
With that said…
I created this journaling page for myself and my cyclical journal, and I felt like sharing it with you as well.
This inner season’s journaling page is attached to the email’s header and sent to all subscribers to Letter to a WeatherVane.
Don’t forget to check your spam box if you don’t see it right away.
If you’re new to this space and would like to get this journaling page and other cyclical living free journaling pages, then make sure to subscribe by hitting the button below 👇
🎬Behind the scenes
What have I been up to, things I’m doing, what I'm reading, and anything in between…
#1 Cyclical Journaling
Even though I find consistency difficult, in one aspect, one form of consistency is always present in my life, and that is through my habit of creating my journals and journaling, tracking, and planning in them. Currently, I’ve been working on the Spring journaling pages, and also the 2nd moon cycle, or Seed Moon Cycle.
Read more about the current moon cycle 👇
What I love about creating my own journals is that I can add anything I want or feel I need. Also, I can change and adapt if things aren’t working, or I’ve learned something new, or inspiration has called me in.
#2 Decluttering Substack
I decided to have a look around to all the publications I was subscribed to here on Substack. To be honest, I felt overwhelmed with all the subscriptions, which resulted in actually not reading, let alone engaging with others.
After two afternoons cleaning and clearing my subscriptions, I went from around 100 to only being subscribed to 44 publications🥳
The criteria I used to declutter my Substack:
Publications that actually don’t resonate (anymore) with what I write and share.
Writers who write about writing books: I’m not a writer, nor do I long to write a book any time soon.
People teaching about Substack. I create a list of these publications in my journal instead.
Publications/people not being active for a while without any “break” announcement.
Publications/people who have left Substack with an announcement in their publication/letter.
Publications that have everything behind a paywall, and very sporadically share a post/letter for “free”. Don’t get me wrong, I applaud everyone who knows their value and decides to move forward in this way. However, I currently don’t have the means to support financially, let alone regularly/recurrently people and publications at this time in my life. I have created a list of these publications for the future, so when my wallet allows it, I’ll know where to go 😁.
This doesn’t mean I won’t subscribe to anyone, but when I do, I want to be more intentional and mindful about it, so my Substack space doesn’t get messy and cluttered again. Plus, I intend to do another round in the Autumn again, making it a habit for the equinoxes.
#3 Reading
📖🎙Your Intuition Led You Here by Alex Naranjo and Marlene Vargas: I expected this book to be about how to connect with your intuition. However, this book was more about their personal stories & journey combined with Witchcraft 101. I love anything and everything magical, but this time I wasn’t looking for that. Yes, you can develop or connect your intuition by practicing witchcraft, but to be honest, I was looking to do so through energy work, meditation, and mindfulness. I didn’t read the book’s description - where it was clear what this book was about - so this was my bad!
I did listen to half of the book, but I skipped the witchcraft basics and the rituals offered in this book.
📖🎙Claim Your Power: A 40-Day Journey to Dissolve the Hidden Traumas That Keep You Stuck and Finally Thrive in Your Life’s Unique Purpose by Mastin Kipp: This book was recommended to me, and I just started reading it (well, actually listening to it on Spotify). Is it a yea or nay? I cannot yet say, but I do like this next passage about getting unstuck:
What you need to do is dive deep into the life area where you are most frustrated at it, most scared at it. Feel the pain. Learn the lesson and get free.
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Yet, this is where most of us have difficulty doing and acting upon.
#4 Morning walks
One of the first things I do after breakfast most days is to go on a morning walk around the area where I live. This is my way to start my day in a way that feels meditative and grounded.
#5 Dancing
I’ve been dancing more lately in the mornings. My favo song to start with is 👇
My playlist needs to be updated, so I need to revamp it soon.
That is for now!
🖊️ Where are you seasonally? I’d love to hear your personal stories & opinions, so reply and share your reflections in the comment section!
Ps: 🙏🏻 If you enjoyed this read, then feel free to click on the ❤️ button on this post so more people can discover it on Substack.
🌬️ Sending you magic & healing your way,
-Vane
Thanks for this update. I really get a lot out of your writing, especially your overviews of the upcoming moon cycle. I feel like every other week is a good rhythm for the impulses you give, as it gives me time to really digest and try out things. I keep the current newsletter in my email inbox and refer back to it several times before I feel like I've wrung all the goodness out of it 💜🌝✨