“Even as the leaves are falling, the buds of next year’s crop are already in place, waiting to erupt again in spring. Most trees produce their buds in high summer and the autumn leaf fall reveals them, neat and expectant, protected from the cold by thick scales. We rarely notice them because we think we’re seeing the skeleton of the tree, a dead thing until the sun returns. But look closely, and every single tree is in bud…”
~ Katherine May, from Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times
I heard this passage last week during our Wild Woman Underground book club and I can’t stop thinking about it. When autumn leaves fall, the buds of the following Spring are already in place? They wait there all winter long? I had no idea.
I found this fact so inspiring I decided to center our whole Circle last Sunday here in Asheville around this phenomenon, this embodied teaching from the trees. We explored the idea in meditation, sharing, journal and ritual. It was such a rich exploration, I am offering you a simplified variation of it here.
All you need is a journal and 20 minutes.
Wisdom of the Trees: A Pre-Equinox Contemplative Practice
Today I lay at your feet a contemplative practice where we will call upon memory, imagination & inner guidance.
Grab your journal & sit somewhere that helps you tune inward. Maybe it’s sitting by your favorite window or under a tree.
Begin with intention. You can light a candle, brew yourself a cup of tea, and/or simply take in 5 rounds of steadying breath.
Speak the passage out loud. Take your time and notice how it feels in your body as you do.
“Even as the leaves are falling, the buds of next year’s crop are already in place, waiting to erupt again in spring. Most trees produce their buds in high summer and the autumn leaf fall reveals them, neat and expectant, protected from the cold by thick scales. We rarely notice them because we think we’re seeing the skeleton of the tree, a dead thing until the sun returns. But look closely, and every single tree is in bud…”
Remember back about 6 months ago, just before the Autumn Equinox last September. Take some time to remember where you were, and what was going on in your life. At home, at work, in relationships, in creative life, in health, in waking or sleeping dreams? In autumn trees cut off the water supply to the old leaves, which is why they turn and fall. Were there any hints about what leaves were about to fall? (Take your time to remember with eyes open or closed).
Write and/or draw in your journal about it.
Can you sense the presence of any buds in your life? Buds that may have been with you when the leaves fell last autumn, perhaps unbeknownst to you? At home, at work, in relationships, in creative life, in health, in waking or sleeping dreams, inner life or outer life? Take some time to sense into those questions.
Write and/or draw in your journal about it.
Imagine what those buds could be in deep spring, and Summer. Hold the vision lightly; One never knows exactly how life will unfold. However, when we can tune into the new buds, the new life growing in us and around us, we can help it along with our attention, our care, and our actions.
Write and/or draw in your journal about it.
Offer a blessing to the fallen leaves, to the buds, to the tree teachers, and to your heart. Trust that you instinctively know how to bless.
Close with reading the passage last time: “Even as the leaves are falling, the buds of next year’s crop are already in place, waiting to erupt again in spring. Most trees produce their buds in high summer and the autumn leaf fall reveals them, neat and expectant, protected from the cold by thick scales. We rarely notice them because we think we’re seeing the skeleton of the tree, a dead thing until the sun returns. But look closely, and every single tree is in bud…”
On the Horizon
Join us for an hour-long New Moon Meditation Adventure on March 18th.
Online, from anywhere.
Using a dynamic meditation journey, we will tune into the New Moon, to your own Inner Guidance, synced up with wild-hearted women from around the world. This offering will include music, storytelling, meditation, journaling prompts & intention-setting.
Can’t make it live? No worries. All participants will receive a copy of the recording with 24 hours of the session.
"The Circle Leader Training Program at The Wild Woman Project was one of the most transformative and healing experiences of my life. I have received many tools, resources, support, and connections that I will carry on with me forever." ~ Hannah Devin, Graduate
Wild Woman Fest returns…
Join us for the 10th Annual Wild Woman Fest August 19-23rd, 2026
All on a beautiful & sacred land in the Blue Ridge Mountains, in Asheville North Carolina.
Wild Woman Fest 2025 sold out in minutes. Sign up for Wild Woman Fest '26 Updates.
We have Wild Woman Project-trained Circle facilitators is 27 countries, and 44 out of the 50 United States.
Calling wild-hearted women, in and around the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville ~ let’s stir up some sisterhood magic in 2026.
Monthly on Sunday afternoons, 3-5pm, near the Full Moon at The Well in West Asheville.
Chris Maddox is the founder of The Wild Woman Project where she teaches women how to utilize the gifts of the Wild Woman Archetype in their everyday lives & how to lead women’s circles in their local communities. She is the organizer & facilitator of the beloved annual WILD WOMAN FEST, a women’s retreat-festival hybrid which fosters a deep connection to nature, a direct experience of the divine feminine & profound spiritual sisterhood among the women in attendance.
An ever student of the great mysteries of existence and nature itself, Chris believes women are holding innate gifts & tools that society at large needs – now more than ever. She is committed to helping women remember their special magic and to bring it forward into every corner of their lives, for the greater good of the planet.
