I repeat myself a lot.
You might have noticed.
Year after year I talk about the same 7 archetypes, the same archetype anointing oils, and the same 8 seasons of the Wheel of the Year.
Over and over for the last 16 years.
It has, at times, made me feel self-conscious.
Like, c’mon lady, talk about something else!
So, when I came across this little Instagram gem it helped me ditch that self-consciousness and understand something important.
Repetition is rhythm.
And rhythm is rest.
Here’s that Instagram quote:
Your body doesn’t need freedom, it needs rhythm. Every consistent action tells your body “I know what comes next”. Repetition becomes reassurance. Chaos exhausts the mind, rhythm restores it. The subconscious trusts patterns more than control. You need structure that repeats. Calm isn’t something you chase, it’s something you teach your nervous system through routines, closure, and small daily promises kept. Regulate your rhythm and your body follows. (@soulmindhub)
The idea that rhythm is restorative is something I know in my bones.
Specifically, the rhythm of The Wheel of the Year.
Rhythm can be counted on, that’s kind of the point of it.
So even when a pandemic starts, it’s also Spring Equinox and Girl Child season, same as ever.
Even though there’s a hurricane, it’s also just Mermaid season, same as ever.
And when there’s a breakup, a death, a war, a tornado, a business closing, or some other challenging thing, it’s happening during a season.
Same as ever.
And this is supportive, calming even.
When the rug gets pulled out from under you, rhythm is the ground that the rug was on in the first place.
A steady, stable support.
Reassurance that you’re not gonna fall.
In the same way that a band is supported by a rhythm section, allowing soloists to let loose while drums and bass keep it all steady, the rhythm and repetition of Earth’s seasons support us as each day offers some fresh hell (that’s a Dorothy Parker reference).
We can begin to see that rhythm is a type of rest.
And that means that rhythm is barracks — somewhere to rest and restore, recharge and resharpen.
The Warrior archetype invites us to consider “battlefield” and “barracks”.
Battlefield is the part of life when you’re “on” — engaging, asserting, participating, and activated.
Barracks then is when you’re “off” — restoring, rejuvenating, healing, and resting.
They’re both crucial.
And they’re interdependent.
Too long on the battlefield and you’ve got a dull blade, a slow reflex, and a pissed off, useless army.
Too long in the barracks and you’ve lost strength, agility, courage, and endurance.
The rhythm of The Wheel of the Year, the same 8 seasons over and over, is an ever- present barracks allowing the ever-present battlefield to flow with efficacy and purpose.
I think I might put “bass player” on my next job application.
It’s not not-true.
For years I’ve made the same oils and sold them to a lot of the same people.
I’ve talked about the same seasons and the same archetypes.
I even made an almanac to help keep this rhythm going.
It’s an offering, yes.
But it’s also my self-care, the thing that keeps my stress low and my nervous system regulated; keeps the floor from falling out under me when I’m challenged.
It’s Warrior wisdom, applied.
What is consistent in your life? Where is there rhythm?
It’s amazing what something steady can do for you.
love and rhythm,
xo
kv
