The Wheel is Medicine

​One of my favorite eco-therapeutic tools for re-orienting myself and my clients during times of struggle is the Wheel of the Year. This ancient and sacred cycle, rooted in Celtic cosmology, offers perspective, presence, and—most importantly—an embodied reminder that everything is always in a state of becoming.

What Is the Wheel of the Year

The Wheel of the Year is a visual calendar of nature’s cycles, seasons, and time. Many nature-based spiritual practitioners observe the eight celebrations or sabbats represented on the Wheel.

These eight points include:

• Four solar festivals: the equinoxes and solstices, which mark key turning points in the sun’s journey.
• Four cross-quarter sabbats: midpoints between seasons that hold deep significance in many traditions.
  
  

Following the sun’s cycle—from growth to retreat—is as ancient as humanity itself, with diverse cultures worldwide honoring seasonal shifts through rituals, ceremonies, and festivals. These sacred times predate modern Judeo-Christian holidays and serve as portals for connecting with the energies of the Sun, Earth, and our own bodies.

But here’s the truth: You don’t need to follow any specific spiritual or religious tradition to work with the Wheel of the Year.
If you:

✔️ Experience shifts in energy at different times of the year
✔️ Notice changes in your body or emotions with the seasons
✔️ Adapt your clothing, food, or lifestyle based on the time of year

Then--consciously or not—you are already moving with the Wheel.

Using the Wheel in Ecotherapy

Our biology is deeply influenced by solar and lunar cycles. Some people feel this on a spiritual level, while others resonate with it physiologically or philosophically. As an ecotherapist, I integrate this awareness into my work in a way that is both biological and metaphorical, allowing clients to see themselves as part of a greater cycle.

A Client Story: Reclaiming the Body Through Nature’s Cycles

Sam, a 16-year-old, queer-identifying client, has been working with me for two years. While they have a strong sense of self-esteem and social identity, they struggle with anxiety and physical discomfort due to puberty and a congenital condition. These bodily changes weigh heavily on them, leading to feelings of isolation and disconnection from their own body.

In one of our outdoor therapy sessions, I led Sam into the forest near my office. We found a quiet clearing, and I invited them to gather sticks to form a circle on the forest floor, marking the eight directions of the Wheel. As we walked the perimeter of the circle, we discussed each direction’s corresponding season, time of day, element, human life stage, and energetic quality.

For example: South represents summer, midday, fire, adolescence, and the energies of activity, growth, and change—all themes that resonated with Sam’s current stage of life.

After introducing the big-picture framework, I invited Sam to walk the Wheel again—this time mapping it to their personal life journey. They started in the Northeast, which symbolizes the in-utero stage before birth. This was a significant moment in Sam’s history, as their mother experienced verbal and physical threats during pregnancy, causing distress that imprinted in Sam’s early nervous system.

Step by step, we moved through the cycle:
👶 Birth → 👧 Childhood → 🧑 Adolescence → 🌅 Imagining their adult and elder years.

Using imagery, memory, somatic awareness, and developmental insights, we explored how their body, emotions, and sense of identity have evolved over time. Tears, laughter, and deep insights emerged as Sam began to see their body’s changes not as something "wrong," but as part of a natural rhythm.

Most importantly, this practice helped Sam reconnect with self-compassion. Rather than resisting change, they started embracing their body as a living, breathing part of a much larger unfolding story.

Reclaiming Natural Rhythms in a Disconnected World

As an attachment-based therapist, I explore my clients' social and familial influences. As a nature-based therapist, I also consider their biological, seasonal, and energetic patterns.

Our modern world is often out of sync with natural rhythms. We live in a culture that prioritizes comfort, productivity, and instant gratification, making us intolerant of the ebbs and flows of energy inside and around us.

But nature does not operate in a straight line—life is cyclical.

🌊 The tides rise and fall.
🌙 The moon waxes and wanes.
🍂 The trees bloom, shed, and bloom again.

When we lose touch with these regenerative cycles, we struggle with transitions—whether that’s growing up, growing older, experiencing grief, or facing uncertainty. Reconnecting with the Wheel of the Year allows us to ride these currents rather than resist them.

The Wheel as Medicine

Part of my eco-therapeutic work is reminding clients that they are not just connected to nature—they ARE nature.

The Wheel of the Year is not just a symbol; it is a mirror reflecting our ever-changing bodies, emotions, and life experiences.

For Sam, this perspective shifted their relationship with their body—from shame to self-acceptance, from fear to empowerment.
For many others, it provides an existential anchor, offering both a sense of temporality and a deep belonging to the greater cycles of life.

In my work, I rely less on medications and rigid protocols and more on nature’s wisdom as a guide for healing.

Because, to me, the Wheel is medicine.