Events and Experiences

Nature being used in the third person – the ‘It’ rather than the ‘Us’ – and posting on social media that we’re going to go “be with nature” on the weekend, only increases our disconnection as we see her as separate to us.

Or we romanticise and only look for her perfect expressions instead of finding the sacred in suburbia.

We are nature – what we breathe out affects the world around us. Nature is in our guts as much as it’s the wind. We’re part of a greater ecosystem. Remembering we are nature reconnects us to everything – and everyone – else.

We cannot break the laws of nature, only ourselves against them.

Life is cyclical. Humans evolve from a child, to a teenager, then an adult to become elderly (or the term elders as many prefer to use). The same with businesses. There’s growth (expansion), a peak, recession (contraction), a trough and recovery.

The butterfly lays eggs, then there’s the caterpillar, the pupa, the emergence from a chrysalis and then there's a butterfly once again.

Rhythm is the keynote of nature. It’s not just a sign of life – it is life. And the cycles of nature guide our lives and their wisdom can be our wisdom too. Often our western culture feels bereft of ritual and so I facilitate seasonal workshops on nature’s rhythms. I believe in the importance of creating sacred space for ritual as it brings into alignment a longing in us that’s soulful.

Drop me a line: kristina@kristinadryza.com to find out when the next workshops are on. Below is an example of some of the material covered.

Class 1: Intro to nature’s rhythms & why they’re fundamental to our holism
Class 2: Seasonal rhythms: acceptance & greater presence
Class 3: Circadian rhythms: congruency & alignment
Class 4: Lunar rhythms: reflection, appropriate phasing & pacing
Class 5: Tidal rhythms: effortlessness, surrender & flow

I also create bespoke seasonal events too.

We can’t talk about the seasons without experiencing the food – the bounty of the harvest. With friends on Kangaroo Island I enjoyed co-hosting food and wine events for the Adelaide Film Festival and the island’s FEASTival. I also ran ‘Seasons through the Senses’ salons for the Adelaide Food & Wine Festival and private gatherings. I loved creating the menu, shopping at the farmers market, cooking up a storm in the kitchen, making the music playlists, designing scents and decorating the space. I loved designing these seasonal experiences so the essence of the event – its inward nature and true substance – could be compellingly and flavourfully conveyed and communicated.

I created these salons as it’s not just about noticing the seasons, but sensing them. Traditionally ancient cultures lived their lives guided by nature’s rhythms but with today’s fast-paced, ‘always on’ mentality, corporate life dictates our rhythms now more than nature does. It’s crucial to re-orientate ourselves to the natural world so the virtual, artificial one doesn’t become our default playing field. Celebrations that reinforce the cycles of nature are much needed.

Just as there are distinctive seasons in life, there are also correlating emotions. We can’t only live in the summer of our lives. It’s part of the human condition to tough out a harsh and difficult winter too. It’s not about experiencing nature solely through our physical eyes but feeling nature through her cycles. At these salons I’d give a talk on the resonance, frequency and mood of each season and share art, media, poetry, symbolism and traditions inspired by the moment on the calendar. Then we’d break bread and eat and drink the foods and ingredients that embodied that unique moment of time.

I’m all for metaphoric meaning, so ask yourself right now, “How can I best nurture what is blossoming in my life so that it will bear fruit?” Remember, the fruits also hold the seeds of what you’ll come to cultivate in the next growth cycle too.

And hold close too the words of Marcus Aurelius: “When force of circumstance upsets your equanimity, lose no time in recovering your self-control, and do not remain out of tune longer than you can help. Habitual recurrence to the harmony will increase your mastery of it.”