Solstices are a time to pause and reflect, preparing for the shift of energy in the next half of the year. Now, on the shortest day of the year (for the northern hemisphere), darkness has reached its peak and we can celebrate the return of warmth and light to the earth.

Winter Solstice (also known as Yule) occurs on or around the 21st of December and shares traditions with Christmas. It’s a time for celebration, coming together and showering each other with love and appreciation (and gifts!).

Tomorrow, the 31st of October 2020, is Samhain (pronounced sowin) - a fire festival to welcome the winter and darker half of the year. Samhain is seen by some as the most important festival on the Wheel of Year as it marks both the beginning and the end of the cycle, and the Celtic new year.

"The God, as Sun King is sacrificed back to the land with the seed until the Winter Solstice, and the Goddess, now as Crone, mourns Him until His rebirth at Yule. He travels the Underworld learning its wisdom. This is the time of the descent into darkness, of pre-conception, out of which new life, new ideas, will eventually emerge."

The state of our climate, the plastic in the ocean, the rise of the Earth’s temperature is NOT down to you as an individual consumer. Beyond being responsible with what we use, reuse and recycle, the biggest step is voting for a greener future.

I don’t just mean paying attention to environmental policies before you cast your actual vote (though please do this too). I mean vote with your time and your money and your wider choices.

Switch to a green energy supplier, write to your MP about your environmental concerns, boycott fast fashion and the largest global polluters. As long as we are buying, as long as we are quiet, companies don’t need to change their behaviour.

Tomorrow, the 22nd of September is the Autumn Equinox, or Mabon on the wheel of the year. Though this equinox is the astronomical start of the autumn in the northern hemisphere, it is seen as the peak of the season on the wheel of the year. And personally, I go by the appearance of glossy, marbled conkers across the leaf strewn parks.

Mabon marks the second harvest, the harvest of fruit, and is a time to give thanks for the earth's bounty. It's also traditionally a time to rest after the intensity of summer and hard work of harvest time, and to reflect on the year so far.

June last year saw the first Black Pound Day trend across social media, make headlines across the UK, and make a not inconsiderable dent in my own bank balance.

Investing in small businesses is more important than ever this year, and investing in the Black community is down to all consumers.

It shouldn't take a single day each month to remind us of this. If you posted a black square on your Instagram feed last year, bought a book about racism (and maybe even read it?), made commitments to consider, learn from and support people who don't look like you, ask yourself - where are you spending your money? Who are you supporting in your day to day?

Most of us are familiar with recognising and discussing PMS - low mood, cravings, lethargy, cramps - all the fun stuff (all the stuff that can be almost entirely avoided by the way. More on that another time). But our hormones affect everything. Our confidence, creativity, sexuality, intuition, our focus. Even how articulate or organised we are changes throughout our cycle. Learning to recognise and predict these patterns gives us the opportunity to plan our work for exactly when it will suit us physically, mentally and emotionally.

Lammas is the first day of the harvest season and traditionally a time to celebrate the earth's bounty and give thanks. It's also a timely reminder to plan for the autumn and winter as it marks the end of the summer season and a return to darkness (dun, dun, dun!).

I know that those with seasonal affective disorder or who simply don't like the cold may not feel like celebrating this turning of the wheel, but it's also a reminder to grab these blue sky days and make the most of being outside. It’s also a good time to consider what you may want or need over the darker months ahead. How can you plan and prepare?