Even though we’ve made it really easy to ignore our body’s and the earth’s cycles with modern technology and medicine, they’re still there, and they’re still powerful.

Back in the day when there was no artificial light, women cycled with the moon. We bled at the new moon and went within. We ovulated at the full moon and were at peak fertility, both literally and metaphorically.

Whether you have a menstrual cycle or not, your body has cycles every month. And what’s really cool is that our annual calendar is a macrocosm of our monthly cycles.

What if we could tap into the wisdom of the moon, our bodies, and our cycles to guide key parts of our lives, such as our finances?

What if Mother Nature could be our financial planner? What if instead of always pushing and trying to make things happen no matter what, we listened to our bodies and the Earth and went with the flow of planetary energy instead of pushing our mental agendas?

So there’s your monthly calendar and there’s your annual calendar.

The annual calendar has four distinct seasons, just as our monthly cycle has 4 distinct phases.

Each season/phase has it’s own unique gifts and energies that we can tap into in order to maximize the ease of our life. {Tweet It!}

Whether you’re looking at your money, your marriage, your productivity, or your self care, knowing this information is key. Most of us go through life as though every single day is meant to be juiced of every possible productive moment. We push and push and push and push.

Using Mother Nature, the moon, and the seasons as our guide, we can actually learn when a little pushing will be met more than halfway by the energies of the universe, and when pushing will leave us exhausted and feeling like we’re rolling a boulder up hill. We will have boulders to push in life, that’s for certain. But we can work with our bodies and the earth to ensure that we’re not always on the uphill when we push.

The phases of your monthly cycle plus the energy of each phase are as follows:

Menstrual (Dark of the Moon): Looking within, reflecting on what’s working and what’s not working in your life, letting go, course-correcting, deeper connection to intuition

Follicular: Creativity and new beginnings, high physical energy, desire to be out and active

Ovulation (Full Moon): Open to maximum cross-fertilization, connecting with community, heightened communication skills, magnetism

Luteal: Decline in physical energy, energy turns inward, nesting, administrative, detail-oriented tasks feel like priorities, slowing down

(Interested in learning more about your cycle and how it impacts not only your body, but also your emotions and your life? Grab yourself copies of Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom by Christiane Northrup, MD and WomanCode by Alisa Vitti.)

If the year were the macrocosm of the month, the phases line up like this:

Winter = Menstrual
Spring = Follicular
Summer = Ovulatory
Fall = Luteal

So what might this mean for your money?

Well, it’s never too soon to start looking at the year ahead (Mike and I always like to start doing our annual planning in November). As you lay out your financial plans for 2017, keep in mind the energies at play not only as you go through your cycle each month (and if you don’t have a menstrual cycle, simply use the phases of the moon) but also the cycles of the seasons.

Here’s what melding your financial activities with the energies of Mother Earth might look like:

Fall/Luteal:

Begin to slow down. Update any bookkeeping or other financial documents that need updating. Have a meeting with your accountant to talk about whether or not you’re on track with your taxes (especially if you pay quarterly as a business owner.) Focus on financial management rather than expansion of earnings.

Winter/Menstrual:

Take stock of your financial life. Ask yourself about what’s working and what’s not when it comes to your finances. Does it align with your values? If you’re not sure, revisit Chapter 7 of my book, Money: A Love Story, on Feel-Good Financial Planning. Do some journaling around your financial life. Ask for guidance in meditation, while walking out in nature, or while doing some other kind of gentle movement. Make notes about any course corrections you’d like to make.

Spring/Follicular:

This is a great time to implement new financial plans, meet with new people you’re considering for your financial team (CPA’s, financial advisors, bookkeepers, lawyers, etc.) and work on your most mentally challenging tasks. If you have a new revenue stream you’re wanting to implement, a job change you’re looking to make, or other changes that take a lot of physical and emotional energy, this is the time to focus on them.

Summer/Ovulatory:

This time is all about cross-pollinating and maximum fertility (literal and energetic.) You’ll be the most social and magnetic during this time. It’s a great time for financial masterminding, meeting with your investment group, or getting a group together to go through Money: A Love Story or other financial books as a book club. This is also a great time for any difficult conversations you need to have regarding your finances because your communication skills are at their height.

Does this way of planning your financial (and other) activities resonate with you? I’ve got a free, download for you: Let Mother Nature Be Your Financial Planner.

Enter your name and email below to get instant access.

Or click here to access your Planner.

You can print it off and use it to guide your months and your years to be in peak financial flow and in partnership with the energies of the earth and the cosmos at all times.

Let the cycles of the Earth lead. {Tweet It!}

OVER TO YOU:

Have you ever organized any part of your life, financial or otherwise, according to your cycle or the Earth’s cycle, lunar or seasonal? Is this new to you? I’d love to hear your insights and how you plan to implement this in your life. Please leave a comment so we can dive deeper into this juicy conversation!