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A poem for Wintering

Photo by Shannon Deans on Pexels.com

A poem written during my hibernation this winter. I was sat at my allotment, where the garden is definitely in it’s winter slumber, reflecting on how at odds I felt with the ‘New Year’ energy. How can it be a new year when everything is still so cold and every inch of my being is still firmly in it’s winter cocoon?

For me, since aligning my life more with the seasons, I find myself coming alive again in spring. My ‘new year’ begins when the leaves burst into being on trees and the first flowers are tentatively emerging.

Wintering and honouring the slowness of this season have become central to the rhythms of my life. I notice myself becoming disconnected and burnt out when I try to keep up with the frantic January rush.

Do you feel the same?

An Invitation Declined

They say it’s time to call in a new year.

Quick! Rush! Declutter!

A flurry of change and drive and surging forward with

the battle cry on the crisp air –

“New Year! New me! New NOW!”

On the stroke of midnight, ‘just being’ is no longer enough.

Be better, be newer, be sharper, be smaller, be hustlers, be different.

A constant stream of content screaming:

“New year! New me! New NOW!”

I feel like an alien, an other-worlder.

My bones are slow like snails

in my cocoon with hibernating beings.

Small tendrils of dreams for springtime

only just starting to appear from the frost.

Same me. Slow me. Wintering me.

I feel at odds with man-made time.

The budding of the leaves on trees

and the eruption of the first spring flowers make more sense to me.

My drive to hibernate, to drift and dream and ebb

is stronger than the calendar on the wall.

Same me, slow me, Wintering me.

The number I write at the end of the Year has changed.

But I am not ready to emerge.

I tug my blanket of hibernation across my soft animal body.

Quietly turning down your invitation. Call me when the spring arrives.

Same me. Slow me. Wintering me.

Lizzie Elliot-Klein

24th Jan 2025
Embrace Autumn: Inspiring Quotes for the Season
Do you feel the call of autumn?

Dearest Wyld Ones,

Even though it is November here in the UK, it has only just started to feel like Autumn! Where I live in the South-West, it is always a little warmer than other parts of the country. Our leaves have only just started to change, painting the landscape in hues of gold, orange, and crimson.

I love autumn; the season of winding down and preparing for hibernation has always appealed to me. From the silken insides of a conker shell and the sound of crunching leaves beneath my feet to that fresh smell of the crisp air and the cosy woollen jumpers wrapped around me – I just adore it!

Each walk through the park or the countryside feels like stepping into a painting, as nature showcases its beauty in a spectacular farewell before the winter months settle in.

What makes your heart sing in autumn?

Autumn – muse, teacher and canvas

This season has inspired poets, artists, and creatives for generations. Autumn offers a unique blend of beauty and nostalgia, evoking feelings of warmth even as the temperatures drop. Whether it’s the warm embrace of hot apple cider or the gentle rustle of leaves in

Here, I have gathered some autumn-inspired quotes to resonate with the spirit of this enchanting season! They reflect the essence of transformation, nature’s cycles, and the beauty of change.

What does Autumn Mean to you?

What are your favourite quotes or sayings about this magical time of the year? I’d love to hear your thoughts and what autumn means to you!

Follow me on social media for more nature inspired quotes, folklore and nature connection practices!
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I hope that this season brings you comfort, wisdom and connection to nature which nurtures you best.

With love, from my wyld heart to yours,

Lizzie

Quotes for Autumn
1. “Upon our heads the oak leaves fall like silent benedictions closing Autumn’s gorgeous ritual.” – Marjorie Allen Seiffert
1. “How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and colour are their last days.” – John Burrows
1. “In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” – William Blake
1. “It was November — the month of crimson sunsets, parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind-songs in the pines.” – L. M. Montgomery
1. “ I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.” – Nathanial Hawthorne
1. “Autumn leaves don’t fall, they fly. They take their time and wander on – this their only chance to soar.” – Delia Owens
1. “Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.” – Emily Bronte
1. “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus
1. “If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” – Vincent Van Gogh
6th Nov 2024
Wyld Words- Rockpools

Hello Wyld Souls,

For the last few months I have been running an online nature-based poetry circle called Wyld Words. For each session we write individually and as a group based on a nature being or ecosystem, it has been a magical journey so far as we voyaged through moss and rockpools. Some beautiful poems have been birthed and a creative community is growing in this contaner!

Here is my individual poem from the session themed on ‘Rockpools’, the prompt was

‘Rockpools are challenging and changing environments, imagine yourself gazing into a rockpool and write about what arises for you as you feel into the energy of these spaces.’

Rockpool.

I know that the tides will change,

that I may soon be exposed to the elements.

To the pressures and forces that I cannot control.

I can only weather them and await for the coolness and calm to return.

Yet, how do I survive it?

Do I hunker down inot the rocks like a limpet in their homescar or do I hide away in the crevices of the edges of my mind? Like a blenny in the rocks.

Perhaps I could draw myself inwards, tentacles tucked until I am inconspicuous, invisible and hoping that the sun will spare this worrisome wallflower.

These cycles of harshness and softness,

coolness and heat,

abundance and scarcity

repeat like clockwork through the days of my life.

I know in my bones that I can weather them,

I have done so many times before.

Yet every time the stresses return and I am in survival mode.

I wish to be as tenacious as a starfish,

resourceful as a hermit crab.

adaptable as all of the lifeforms in this mesocosm at my feet.

I dip my toes into the rockpool waters,

as if to absorb it’s wisdom into my skin.

The water levels rise, tide is coming in –

coolness and calmness return for now filling the rockpools of doubt within.

I watch, waiting for the tide to ebb again.

I can weather this,

I know it.

I trust my sea-salted heart I can.

– Elizabeth Elliot-Klein

The next meeting of the Wyld Words Poetry Circle will be held online on the 14th of May (19:00 -20:30 GMT) and you can book your place here. It will be all about ‘Birds’!

11th May 2022
Guided Nature Meditation Demo

After an empowering, meditative experience in a river on Bodmin Moor I felt moved to try my hand at writing a guided meditation based on those moments.

Afterwards I sat on the banks of the river and read through the scrawls in my notebook to create this offering.

This is something very new and different for me , so I would appreciate any feedback or constructive criticism to help me improve! Too long? Too short? Tone of voice needing tweaking?

Let me know in the comments or in a PM. Is this something which would call to you as a regular offering? What settings do you find meditative in nature?

I hope that this gift finds you well and leaves you feeling peaceful

Lizzie

20th Jul 2021
Wild Woman of the Trees

Another tree inspired poem. This poem was birthed at the first meeting of the Red Writing Circle, an outdoor poetry circle for folk who identify as women. This project is being run with the lovely Poppy Jones – a fabulous poet and champion for women’s voices in poetry. The prompt was to find a space in the park that called you and write about how you feel. I chose to climb a tree, nestle in the branches and write.

Wild Woman of the Trees

When I was a child

Every tree was a possible grand adventure.

Gnarled. Smooth. Bare. Bending.

The trees beckoned and it was impossible to resist.

I would clamber, hang and lose my balance so easily.

But I was not afraid.

I was alive.

When I was a tame woman

Every tree was a possible accident.

Enticing. Forbidden. Lofty. Out of reach.

The trees still beckon but my fear was stronger.

Afraid of falling, judgement and broken bones.

Keeping me frozen and trapped to the ground.

As if falling and breaking would cause all the darkness

To spill from my body and across the earth.

Now I am a wild woman.

Every tree is an ancestor, a guide.

Wise. Ancient. All seeing. All knowing.

Aloft in the branches I am suspended, weightless

And at one with the bird song and moss.

My wild soul is singing

And I no longer fear the fall.

I am alive.

3rd Jul 2021
Mental Health Awareness Week 2021 – Thank you!
Hello there wyldings,

I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the support, engagement and warm words that arose from my offering for Mental Health Awareness Week 2021. For me, so many poignant moments of healing and growth took place outside, surrounded by life and the elements that I felt called to contribute to the discourse and help people engage in this important work.

When crafting this challenge I took inspiration from my own experiences and the nature connection practices which supported my journey both in improving my mental health and my relationship with the natural world. This week was also a profound moment of growth for me as I took the plunge into my first digital offering and overcame my own anxieties around doing so, so thank you for being there alongside me!

Here is what some of the participants experienced:

“It was nice to have learned about the ´Mental Health Awareness Week’ through the SeaWyld posts. The daily call-to-action posts made me stop, think and appreciate everything around more deeply and personally” – E

“We’re living in the middle of the city, weather has been awful, and with a tiny baby keeping us a little more home-tied nature seems very far away! It was really nice to use some of the posts to take a bit of a trip in my mind if not physically! It reminded me how much we can do to help our mental health without external inputs” – H

“I live within nature on a daily basis but the posts from SeaWyld made me stop and pay more attention. It’s easy to become complacent and not realise how important it is to stop and look. The children loved the colour challenge. Being within nature is so important for us as a family and it’s amazing to think it’s finally be recognised professionally as to the importance of it” – D

The activities and challenges that I shared can be done whenever you need to tap into nature connection – whether you are in your office, a city or blessed to be out in the wilds.

The seven challenges were:
1. Share a photograph of a place or moment where you felt deeply connected to nature.
2. Choose a colour and look for it in nature throughout the day.
3. Share your favourite song, poem or artwork inspired by nature.
4. Listen out for birdsong on your travels.
5. Go outside and meet a tree today.
6. Sit in a quiet spot outside and use your senses to explore nature around you.
7. Do something to care for the natural world today.
I hope that these activities continue to bring moments of nature connection when you need them and once again, thank you so much for your support and for taking this journey with me.

Love and light,

Lizzie
25th May 2021