Mast years - prediction or result?
Mast Years, Folklore, and the Environments We Create
It’s said that an abundance of fruit on the trees in autumn predicts a harsh winter ahead….
The Folklore of Abundance
Walk through any woodland or along the hedgerows in the UK this autumn, and you’ll notice it straight away: trees and bushes heavy with berries, nuts scattered across the paths, acorns carpeting the ground. This is what’s known as a mast year — when trees produce far more seeds, fruit, and nuts than usual. Personally, I’ve made A LOT of jam this year - plums and apples especially have been so abundant, and my freezer is full of blackberries.
For centuries, folklore has linked mast years to hard winters ahead. “The trees are stocking up,” the old saying goes. But science tells a different story.
The Science of a Mast Year
A mast year doesn’t foretell what’s coming — it reflects what has already been. Trees only produce such abundance when conditions in previous years have been right. Sunlight, rainfall, pollination, and ecological balance all line up to create the perfect environment.
In other words: the richness we see now is a result of what has already been nurtured.
What Nature Teaches Us About Growth
This lesson is more than botanical trivia. It offers us a mirror for our own lives. So often we worry about the future, trying to interpret signs of what’s to come. But just as with the trees and hedgerows, the harvest we experience in our health, energy, and wellbeing isn’t a mystery. It’s the natural outcome of the environments we’ve been living in, and that we have created for ourselves. Just take a moment to reflect on this.
Creating Our Own Mast Years
Neuroscience supports this truth. Our brains are prediction machines — constantly shaping our present experience based on the conditions we’ve lived in. If we’ve been in chronic stress, our brain prepares us for more stress. If we’ve been well-rested, nourished, and supported, our brain prepares us to think clearly, to thrive, and to create.
We can create the future we want when we start now with decisions that move us in the right direction.
That means the choices we make day by day — the sleep we allow ourselves, the food we eat, the social connections we nurture, the balance between rest and effort — become the environment in which future abundance is made possible.
When we give ourselves these conditions, we don’t have to push for results. They come, naturally, in their own season.
From Scarcity to Abundance
Nature has years of scarcity, and so do we. Not every season can be a mast year. But those quieter years are part of the cycle too — times of rest and regrouping, laying down roots so that abundance can come later. Instead of criticising ourselves for “not doing enough,” perhaps we can learn from the trees. Rest is not wasted; it’s preparation.
Ask yourself these questions
What conditions am I creating for myself right now?
Am I offering myself the rest and nourishment that will lead to future energy and creativity?
Can I accept that some seasons are about recovery, and others about fruitfulness — and both are valuable?
In Summary
The trees remind us that abundance isn’t magic or luck. It’s the result of what has already been tended. When we create nourishing environments — in our minds, our homes, our relationships, and our bodies — we set the stage for our own mast years.
And if you’d like the space to step back, to reset, and to create those conditions for yourself, that’s exactly what my retreats offer: time in nature, neuroscience-based tools, and a community that supports growth. One to one therapy offers you the space to be heard and to listen to what your real self needs to create abundance in your life. You can arrange a call with me to chat through the options I can offer you. Don’t wait. Now is the time to nourish your self.
