How to Create a Nature Journal
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Taking time to observe nature throughout the year is a simple way to reconnect—with the earth, with your thoughts, and with yourself. A nature journal is just a place to notice what’s happening around you. Creating your own nature journal doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, it works best when it’s not.
What to Observe
Nature observation can be as broad or as specific as you want. You might pay attention to:
Plants
Birds
Bees and other insects
Trees
The changing sky
Sunlight - how it changes throughout the day or season
Or you might choose one thing to follow over time—a single tree in your yard, a patch of wildflowers, or even just the way the light hits your porch each morning.
There’s no right way to do this.
How to Record What You Notice
Use all of your senses when you’re outside:
What do you see?
What do you hear?
What do you feel (temperature, wind, texture)?
What do you smell?
What do you taste(only if you’re absolutely sure it’s safe)
You can:
Sketch what you see
Write a few sentences
Make a list
Track patterns over time
If you want to go deeper, bring tools like binoculars or a magnifying glass. When you slow down and look closely, you start to notice things you would normally miss—the veins in a leaf, the texture of tree bark, or the subtle color shifts in a single flower petal.
A Simple Example to Try
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved dandelions. They were always the first flower to bloom around my elementary school - and it meant two things: spring was finally here and school was almost out for the summer. As a kid, I would pick the dandelion in a futile attempt to bring it home - only to find it wilted and sad at the bottom of my backpack. As an adult I’ve learned the best way to enjoy a dandelion is to leave them be and watch them grow.
I notice:
Low green leaves spreading across the ground
Bright yellow blooms opening toward the sun
The transformation into those soft, wispy seed heads
and finally watching the breeze turn the flower into wishes
Watching that full cycle play out gives you a surprisingly clear sense of time passing. I know when the dandelions are finished blooming, that lilacs will be next, and then the roses, and so on and on. I mark seasons by what I see in bloom just as much as with a calendar or planner.
Track the Seasons in Real Time
Your journal can also be a place to track:
Daily weather
Temperature changes
First signs of seasonal shifts
If you like a bit of structure, you might try a phenology wheel—a circular way of tracking changes in nature over time.
Nature journaling isn’t really about journaling. It’s about paying attention.
It’s a way to:
Quiet a busy mind by focusing on something tangible
Get outside and support your physical and mental health
Build a deeper sense of connection to the natural world
Notice the things we usually take for granted—clean air, clean soil, healthy trees, and seasonal rhythms
Over time, it also builds a kind of quiet compassion for the earth.
Inspiration for Everyday Life
Nature journaling naturally feeds into other parts of your life.
It can inspire:
Seasonal or Wheel of the Year celebrations
Creative projects
Writing, art, or photography
There’s a reason landscapes have been painted, written about, and studied for centuries. There’s always something new to notice.
Let It Be Imperfect
This part matters.
The goal is not to create something beautiful or impressive.
It’s just for you.
You don’t need to:
Journal every day
Fill every page
Make it look aesthetic
Do it when you can. Skip it when you can’t.
If you tend to get hung up on consistency (I do too), this is your reminder that it still “counts” even if it’s occasional. I practice nature journaling often in my weekly letters to readers. I describe virtually the same scene over and over - the view from my back porch that stretches across a river valley. Every time I write about this, I see something different or new.
My Instagram is kind of like a makeshift nature journal - if you look at all my photos, you’ll see that 90% of them are of nature, often repeating the same scene or subject in different seasons.
Start Simple
All you really need is:
A notebook
Something to write or draw with
A few minutes outside
That’s it.
Everything else builds from there.
If you would like help getting started, I’ve created a free Nature Journaling worksheet, available in the Mabon House Library. Happy journaling!
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Celebrating Springtime - Recommended Reading & Resources
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Celebrating Springtime - Recommended Reading & Resources
Springtime has finally arrived here in the Northern Hemisphere, bringing with a sense of renewed energy and activity. This is the perfect time of year to reconnect with nature after a long winter of being inside. In this post, I’ve gathered a curated list of books, resources, and activities to help you welcome springtime in your own way - whether that is by yourself, with your kids or with friends and family.
The Green Witch & Gardens
Spring is the perfect time to get outside and connect with the earth. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just starting out, there are countless resources to help you grow your own plants, herbs, and flowers. Gardens have long held a special place in spiritual practices, including those of the Wheel of the Year, and adding intentionality to your garden can bring a touch of magic to your growing season. Beyond the joy of planting and nurturing, gardens offer lasting rewards—dried herbs, flowers, and foods that can be used to bring warmth and beauty to the colder months.
The Green Witch's Garden: Your Complete Guide to Creating and Cultivating a Magical Garden Space
The Green Witch's Grimoire: Your Complete Guide to Creating Your Own Book of Natural Magic
Enchanted Plants: A Treasury of Botanical Folklore and Magic
Celebrating the Wheel of the Year
Ostara and Beltane are two key springtime celebrations in the Wheel of the Year, marking the season’s beginning and its mid-point. Ostara, the spring equinox, celebrates balance, renewal, and the awakening of the earth, while Beltane, a Celtic fire festival on a cross-quarter day, honors fertility, growth, and the height of spring’s energy. These festivals offer rituals, lore, and seasonal practices that connect us to nature and the cycles of the year.
Ostara: Traditional Magic, Recipes, and Tales for the Spring Equinox
The Celtic Calendar: Festivals and Rituals from Imbolc to Samhain
Seasonal Folklore
Folktales have long captured the magic of the natural world, weaving themes of growth, renewal, and transformation into stories that continue to influence modern cultural traditions. Springtime, in particular, is rich with myths and legends celebrating fertility, awakening, and the changing of the seasons. Exploring these tales can deepen your connection to the cycles of nature and the spiritual practices that honor them.
Creative Resources & Readings for Adults & Children
If you are looking for something fun and easy to celebrate the springtime and the wheel of the year, here are some affordable books and activities that are ideal for adults and children, alike.
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Progress, Wisdom, and the Crone Within
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The iris is considered a symbol of wisdom. Photo credit from Unsplash.
Recently I had a full-on meltdown over something that, in the grand scheme of things, really wasn’t a catastrophe. It was just an inconvenience—one of those small life disruptions that means you have to wait a little longer or change your plans. But my nervous system reacted as if I was being chased by a tiger. Within minutes I had imagined several worst-case scenarios, each one more dramatic than the last, with my despair growing by the minute.
As I sat with my feelings (or rather laid on the couch sobbing with them), I realized two things: I was being a bit dramatic, and I hadn’t had this kind of anxious overreaction in quite some time. I started thinking about that. Why were normal inconveniences suddenly making me feel like the sky was falling?
For most of my life, overreacting and catastrophizing were pretty familiar habits. But over the past couple of years I had been so preoccupied with other responsibilities that I didn’t really have the time or energy to spiral about every little thing. My focus had to stay on the task in front of me. Without realizing it, that structure had acted like guardrails for my anxieties and emotions. Now, with more space in my days and fewer immediate demands on my attention, those old worrying tendencies suddenly had room to creep back in.
Eventually I peeled myself off the couch and started a load of laundry. Then I washed the dishes that were piled in the sink. Then I made a pan of brownies. And somewhere along the way, I started to feel better. Distracting myself with a few simple tasks pulled me out of my spiral. The situation hadn’t changed, but my ability to shelve it for the time being had.
While I still have moments of anxiety and overreaction, I realized I’m much better at recognizing these types of pattern than I used to be. And that recognition — the ability to see what’s happening while it’s happening — feels like a kind of wisdom I didn’t always have. It made me think about how as women, we move through different seasons of life, sometimes described as the Maiden, Mother, and Crone and with each season comes a different perspective.
Was I more fully entering my own Crone Era?
The Crone and the Triple Goddess Archetype
The idea of the Maiden, Mother, and Crone is often referred to as the Triple Goddess and aligns with the different moon phases and represents all the stages of womanhood. It highlights the power of the feminine and no matter your age or maternal status, you can look to the Triple Goddess for guidance, inspiration and comfort.
The Maiden
The Maiden is represented by the new moon. It focuses on youth, curiosity and new beginnings. Tapping into your inner Maiden can help you learn who you are. It can encourage exploration and independence.
The Mother
The Mother is represented by the full moon. Fertility is an obvious association with this archetype, along with creation, responsibility and nurturing.
The Crone
The Crone is represented by the waning moon. This is associated with aging, wisdom, discernment and letting go of what no longer serves you. I am not sure if is because I am in the early stages of my own Crone era that I feel this - but it is a time connect with yourself and live more authentically.
All three goddess archetypes can coexisit within any woman. You may opt to tap into your Inner maiden when exploring something new. Or, like me, you find yourself pausing to listen to your inner Crone and the wisdom she offers. When you show care and concern of others, your Mother archetype shines through.
The Cultural Fear of the Crone
It is no secret that our culture does not like aging women. Youth and beauty are valued far more than age and wisdom. The word “crone” is associated with old, haggard women - think of the evil queen in Snow White when she transforms into the old woman. She is jealous of Snow White’s beauty and seeks to harm her. This is a pretty good analogy of how we are conditioned to think of any woman who has the audacity to age, disagree, or go against the cultural grain.
Contrast this cultural fear with the spiritual side of the Crone. Intuition, insight, truth-telling, boundaries and independence are areas that many women (raises hand) tap into as they get older. A woman who has walked through enough in life that they begin to see things clearly.
For example, I have dealt with general anxiety disorder my whole adult life. Previously I might have spriraled for days. But because I was willing to sit with my feelings, rather than distract myself with unhealthy coping like couch rotting while watching tiktoks, I was able to interrupt a familiar pattern. I like to think I paused and listened to my inner Crone - that voice that said “Hey there, unless you figure out a way to deal with this, you are going to spend the second half of your life just as consumed with useless worry as the first half. Why don’t you just chill for a minute…”
Growth doesn’t mean we stop struggling. it means we become better at seeing what’s happening, while it’s happening. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve worried incessantly over something that turned out to be nothing.
Ways to Honor the Crone Within
Listen to your experience and trust what you’ve learned from life.
Notice patterns and ask yourself “Have I been here before? What happened last time?”
Slow down instead of reacting. Take some deep breaths and remember that the Crone observes before acting.
Create space for reflection by journaling, walking or spending time in nature. This is an example of my absolute favorite style of journal that I’ve been using for years.
Share wisdom by mentoring, storytelling, writing, creating. I think creating art in some fashion is one of the best ways to connect with yourself, quiet your mind and stay in the present. And I think art is for everyone. If your looking for a creative outlet to get your started, this Goddess Coloring book is a fun and relaxing way to express yourself and learn more about the power of the divine feminine.
The Crone Era Isn’t the End of the Story
The Crone era is full of growth and opportunity. It coincides with perimenopause/menopause, which is referred to as a second spring in some cultures. While the Crone still makes mistakes (raises hand again), she is wise enough to admit it, learn from it, and hopefully not repeat it. The Crone doesn’t have life figured out. She just knows that most stroms eventually pass.
My meltdown wasn’t a failure. It wasn’t a red flag that I am emotionally broken. It was proof of growth. I noticed a pattern and changed course. maybe the Crone isn’t a woman who never falls apart. Maybe she’s the woman who knows how to put herself back together again. Or better yet, she knows how to build herself into something even better.
How does your inner Crone help you?
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