Hello!
I’m Anna. Welcome to Tides and Seasons! I am so happy you are here. This is a space in which I document my journey back to connection. This year I turn 38, and for the last 12 months a discontentment with my life has been stirring. A discontentment which I now recognise as a life not aligned.
When I was 6 years old, I would spend hours making nests for birds from my dads lawn cuttings and the fallen leaves. We would rescue birds, shrews, mice and hares and nurse them back to health. Walking the shoreline, dad would teach me how the pull of tide would allow all sorts of creatures to survive. I would learn the seasons by the ocean with a pair of binoculars permanently hanging round my neck. I found joy and safety in nature. But as I grew older, what I thought I should be doing overtook me, and I began to live a life that wasn’t really mine.
In January 2024, I handed in my notice on this life. Almost delirious with excitement-or fear-I haven’t decide which yet, I enter a life that allows me to live more seasonally, in tune with natures rhythms.
This has partly been driven by the grief I have. My dad, who taught me this wilderness, was diagnosed with terminal leukaemia in May 2023. I write about this journey separately in my Substack, Letters to my father.
The more time I spend understanding the universe, the more I begin to understand myself, and what it means to be human. If you are new round here, expect explorations of life, connection, nature, and spirit. The best place to start is probably here, my article on how it all began.
Join the crew
If you love the idea of returning to the rhythms of nature, understanding more about who we are and why we are here then this is the place for you.
You may also be curious about what it takes to quit life and to start again. At 37, I can tell you this will be quite a ride.
Come, let us make a community of people, keen to live more in line with nature, and more aligned to why we are really here. Let us live this one wild and precious life.
What will I get?
Click subscribe and you’ll get my free newsletters delivered straight to your inbox every other Tuesday. That way you can keep up to date with my progress in the community garden; magical interactions and myths that can connect us more to nature and to each other; and stay connected to my story that will hopefully become your story too.
All you need to do it click subscribe, then sit back and wait for the delights to arrive in your inbox.
In addition to this, I will also be running a weekly thread on chat based on the themes of the most recently released newsletter so we can feel really supported and inspired by our community. This is where we can share our tales of a beginners garden, our weekly nature interactions and how our more seasonally aligned lives are going. So get a cup of tea and biscuit ready and join in the chat on a Saturday morning.
Is it free?
Yes it is! This newsletter and all the content on my Substack is free to read. Feel free to comment, I am always happy to chat. Every new edition of the newsletter goes directly to your inbox, so you won’t have to worry about missing anything. You can also read via the substack app, and on your desktop computer directly on my substack page.
If you did want to support my writing then a lovely way to do it is to comment, subscribe, share and become part of this ever growing community of seasonal, nature loving life seekers.
What can you find in each section?
On the desktop webpage you will see my home page has been split into sections. This is to help you navigate to the areas of real interest for you. Below you can find a brief summary about what you will find in each section;
Deep dives into nature - Often longer pieces of writing on spectacular interactions I have had in nature, and the magic and myth behind these interactions. My hope is that we realise that all interactions are purposeful and give us a sense of meaning to our lives.
Notes from the garden - In order for me to live more seasonally, I am learning how to tend to the land. I have joined a community garden, and here I will share updates on my progress as a complete novice to gardening, what I learn and any tips that may be helpful. Right now I am focussing on two main projects; the self sustaining Hügelkultur and the forest garden, which handily leads us to the next section.
Earth’s medicine - I am learning how we can use the great wisdom of plants, ritual, history, our ancestors, breath and wisdom to heal ourselves. Here you will find an amalgamation of these teachings, and the stories of how these are being weaved into my life.
Thank you
Thank you for coming along for the ride. I am looking forward to building this community with you, and hearing more of your own stories.
See you soon!
Anna xx
To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.
