7 Tips to Survive Life’s Sowing Seasons
“Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water.”
Sowing seasons are ROUGH. Let’s be real.. but they are the essential cycles during which we find ourselves needing to put in the hard work. You know the sweat, blood, and tears of the operation/ All while seeing very little progress.
When I am thinking about this topic, the 8 of Pentacles (from the Tarot) comes to mind:
8 of Pentacles
In the Traditional Rider Waite Tarot, the 8 of Pentacles signifies a phase of mastery through hard work and repetition.
The man in the card diligently hammers away at his craft, anticipating the rewards soon to be fufilled in the ‘9 of Pentacles’ (the next card in the suit) which celebrates the enjoyment of the laboror's fruits
Sometimes, the experience of tending the field comes with genuine pain, underscored by the disillusionment that arises when we do not see the harvest we’d hoped for manifesting instantly.
I think part of this stems from being indoctrinated by social media culture, where there’s an unspoken expectation of instant virality or success at a moment's notice—the phenomenon known as “microwaved results.”
However, I believe there is always a deeper purpose behind these sowing seasons that precede the anticipated harvest season. As the saying goes, "you reap what you sow," and these are the moments of in-between which we grow in patience, resilience, faith, self-compassion and seeing ourselves through the process.
7 Ways to Not Just Survive but Thrive During Life’s Sowing Seasons:
1. Root Yourself in Heart-Based Service
The most sustainable fuel during the sowing season is love — for the work, for the people, and for the bigger vision. When we are tapped into the joy of serving, it’s really hard to complain at the same time.
Serve from the heart, not the ego – Focus on impact, not recognition.
Detach from validation – Keep going even when external praise is not present or minimal.
Remember your “why” – Anchor yourself in the deeper purpose behind what you’re doing.
2. Enjoy the Journey, not just the Destination
Your path is sacred. The magic is in the becoming, not just the arriving.
Shift from outcome-centered to process-centered – Good inputs lead to good outputs. The opposite is also true: put garbage in, get garbage out
Road trip metaphor – Constantly asking “are we there yet?” ruins the ride for everyone, especially yourself.
Celebrate small wins – Progress is happening even if it’s not super obvious in the “3D” realm yet
3. Stay Present with What Is
Impatience often stems from leaving The Now.
Practice mindfulness – Ground yourself in what’s happening right now, not what you wish was happening already.
Use breath and body awareness – Practice the tools and activities (i.e. meditation, yoga) to help you be a witness to this moment. Remind yourself that NOW is all you have. you can only exist here. Right here, right now.
Let go of your timeline – Things unfold in divine timing, not forced timing. You can create way more suffering by trying to strong arm your agenda and timelines.
4. Trust and Surrender to the Bigger Picture
Let go of the “how” and focus on showing up. Trust that the universe will meet the other end of the promise.
Stop obsessing over “how” it’ll happen – Your job is to sow, not control the how.
Journal from the energy of already having it – Step into the vibration of abundance and enough-ness. It’s less about the specifics and more about the ENERGY behind that feeling.
Let the universe do its part – Believe that support is always lining up in unseen ways. Miracles only need a second to manifest. In the meantime, get to work💪🏽
5. Tune Into Your Intuition When It Gets Tough
When logic fails, intuition whispers. Lean in.
Discern intuition from fear-driven thoughts – Intuition often speaks softly but clearly.
Create stillness for listening – Your inner compass needs quiet to be heard.
Stay open to emergent possibilities – Things rarely unfold in the ways you planned
Need support with this? Check out my Private Mentorship Program to help you develop a solid relationship with your Intuition.
6. Release the Heavy Baggage
You can’t move freely into the new if you’re still carrying the weight of the old.
Let go of past betrayals, disappointments, hardships and doubts – Don’t let yesterday’s pain override today or tomorrow’s infinite possibilities
Stop proving and over-explaining – You don’t need to convince anyone of your worth or path.
Choose lightness – Release what no longer serves you. Don’t lug the burdens from the last cycle into the new cycle emerging. Yes, we should learn from our past, but do we need to continue carrying the heaviness?
7. Keep Track of Synchronicities and What you’re Grateful for
What you focus on grows. Water the good.
Keep a gratitude journal – Shift your state from lack to abundance. I know, seems cheesy but it really works.
Notice synchronicities – These breadcrumbs and glimmers remind you you’re on the right path, so keep going!
Reflect regularly – Celebrate how far you’ve come even if the external results are still loading
It’s so easy to get discouraged in sowing seasons but with these tips, I hope you can shift the focus away from not-having to starting to see the higher purpose for slower seasons of chopping wood and carrying water.
Somehow, the food we took the hours to plan, prep and cook, always tastes better than ready-made or freezer isle meals. Why? because it’s your own magic in that soup
As a spiritual mentor, it’s my job to remind you that the prize isn’t in the shiny trophy the ego tends to obsess over. The real prize is YOU!! It’s who YOU are becoming. It’s your soul that’s transmuting, evolution and expanding as you show up for the daily tasks of sowing. It’s your heart that gets poured into the process that makes it all worthwhile...so enjoy life’s sowing seasons!
The harvest will soon be upon us and it’s gunna be GOOD.
Sincerely,
Christina
If you want to tap into your intuition, and take it to the next level?
Join my 12-week mentorship program
Inside the program:
12 weeks of support - Private 1:1 mentorship via biweekly video calls, DM/voice memo between calls
All-levels, beginner friendly
Access to a full online course with 7+ hours of edu content and the Intuition Project Lab