“The reality is that thunder is a natural characteristic of the spring weather, and once the storm has finished, no matter how frightening or intimidating it felt at the time, the air feels clearer, calmer, and more refreshing than before the storm broke.”— Tiffany Francis-Baker, author of Microseasons: A Slow-Living Guide to the Year Following the Traditional Japanese Calendar
A shocking revelation. A painful experience of loss. A moment that brings your awareness to what you had taken for granted.
Any moment in our life journey where a glaring and abrupt truth is revealed due to what is taken away from us, what we thought to be true but has been dismantled and shown to be faulty, or any instance that causes turbulence of any type, our lives are shaken, rattled, yes, given so much wonderful opportunity.
Over this past Memorial Day weekend, the temperatures have been dramatically warmer – mid 80 degrees – up swiftly from our 50 degrees throughout this month of May. As a result, it would be safe to predict that a thunder and rain storm will pass through in the coming days. This is the transition of the spring season into summer.
We don’t always know when it’s going to happen, but what we can know is that ‘thunder’, just as the quote above expresses, offers a temporary unsettling followed by calm that had not previously been experienced prior to the thunder’s arrival.
So often in films, books and television thunder is used to set the tone of an ominous event’s imminent arrival, and if we frame it solely in that light, we miss the gift.
This is not to say that it is ‘fun’ or anywhere near enjoyable to experience ‘thunder’ moments in our life, but they give us the opportunity to see something clearly that we weren’t able to or were unwilling to do before.
The rainfall may come in the form of your own tears when these thunderous moments arrive, and that is healthy. Something has been untethered that you thought you knew or depended upon, but now the universe (or whatever higher power you might believe in) is trying to shake you awake to the reality of what you are capable of if only you would let go and move in a slightly or significantly different direction.
As someone who adores rainfall and finds a thunder and lightning moment to be beautiful, I also know I need to respect them. Along with this respect is knowledge of why it is happening, and that is what I hope to share with you today. Trust that the thunder that occurs in your life is trying to reveal something to you. Trust that it is trying to nudge you along the path that is uniquely made in order for you to shine.
Rooflines and blue sky, the latter opening up after a thunder and rain shower (some hail too), at Lannion, Bretagne/Brittany, earlier this spring – March.
Explore Microseasons by Tiffany Francis-Baker
Released April 2025
~Photos captured in Brittany/Bretagne this past March as a thunderstorm moved through bringing rain and hail, and then the blue skies opened up.
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~Explore all of TSLL’s posts on Contentment here in the Archives
Thank you Shannon for this insightful article that came at exactly the right moment, after several thunderstorms (literal and metaphorical) have passed through my life recently. I will be looking into your book recommendation, it seems to be just the thing the Doctor ordered 😉
Marlene,
Thank you for stopping by and so happy that this post was able to provide some calm amongst the turbulence. Wishing you well and rest assured, the clarity is there to be found. Be patient and open and in its own time, when you are ready, it seems often to arrive as an aha. 🙂
I have always been curious about the Ancient Japanese calendar and read excerpts now and then. I even read a blog where a very talented woman developed her wardrobe plans according to the micro seasons based on colors, moods, and nature. A moody sky is my favorite thing, love the sound of raindrops on windowsills and my wind chimes. My copy of Microseason will arrive on Wednesday! Thank you for featuring this book.
The Vivienne Files is one of my favorites!
Her method is so interesting and her price points are friendly for many. Great wardrobe “fillers.”
Lucy,
My pleasure! 🙂
Dear Shannon,
Thank-you for sharing this new book with us. The concept of microseasons is very intriguing. I hope that you share more details about the book in the future. I plan on looking for the book to add it to my reading list which is rather long right now.📖
Be sure to tune in to June’s A Cuppa Moments 🙂
Love the sound of that book! Thank you for sharing. I’ve just set off on a journey to go to the Hay Book Festival. 3 hour drive from London. I used to get a magazine for car journeys (Husband is driving) , but I’m settling in to have a read of the blog instead! I always hanker after the time to look through the archives! 😄
GORGEOUS photo of the thunder-cloud in the top photo. I just returned from a few days on the coast visiting my aunt and watching the not-too-distant storms over the bay is entrancing. Wonderful book, can’t wait to hear more in June’s A Cuppa Moments. The thunder and storm shake one from placidity and make one suddenly keenly aware and attentive. And then after the cleansing rain, sometimes a deluge, comes a crystal clarity and the birds are singing. Excellent post, Shannon, thank you. xx