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Seasonal changes - some people are excited for them, others not so much.
Fall - representing the time of year when the nights are longer, days are cooler, nature is slowing down, and soon comes winter. Fall can affect the mind - some cherish the stillness and others resist the change. Fall can remind us of impermanence - where leaves change colors and eventually fall, leaving trees and bushes bare. Yet there is beauty, and wisdom. The wisdom of fall is that it is a visual reminder that life is constantly changing, it never stays the same. It, like life, has stages, phases. Autumn reminds us through the shorter days and longer nights to find comfort amongst the solitude. This space allows for awareness and openness. With all the changes that occur in nature it is a reminder for us to understand what is important in our life, and what we get to let go. What brings us purpose and contentment and what brings us discourse and unhappiness. What feeds our souls and what detracts from our truth. The wisdom of the fall is that we can find gratitude to bend with the seasons and to remain steady within the change.
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To reap and to sow.
During harvest, one gathers crops (reap) and then plants seeds to grow (sow). In the spiritual sense, during our harvest (in life and in dying), what we reap, is what we sow. Another way to say this could be karma. How aware are you of your actions and interactions with others on a daily basis? Not just in the big events in life, but also in the mundane every day of life? What kind of self discovery would appear? What insightful and deep nuggets would we find? What would it look like to participate in a spiritual harvest? What would come to the surface when we excavate past events? What would become glaring on how we interacted with people? Would we find compassion, kindness and love? Would we discover actions and behaviors we wish to look away from? A spiritual harvest allows us to see what we sow by ~ Looking within. Discovering parts of us that are balanced. Letting go of parts that do not serve our essence. A spiritual harvest brings back to us what we reaped by ~ Being conscious of our actions. Treating others in ways that brings respect. Understanding that our behavior reflects whom we are as humans. Take the time this fall to rediscover your truth, align your values to your essence and partake in a spiritual harvest so that you can sow and reap what is important to you. Autumn and Spring.
Winter and Summer. These are 4 differing seasons that make up an entire year. Birth and Death. Living and Dying. These are 4 different stages that make up a person entire life. Some sees all of these as opposites, yet aren't they truly just part of a whole? Now, autumn is here - the leaves are changing colors and beginning to fall. We see the majesty of nature - slowing down, withering and going within. Can we say the same thing about dying and death? When our loved one is nearing their end of life, dying, they begin to go within. Their bodies, and life cycles, slow down, the internal systems tend to shift and change, all of which gives us an indication that time is changing and will enter a new passage of time. And yet after a death, a birth or rebirth can occur. We see life eventually expanding again and we see seeds of new awareness enriching our lives. The ability to see just how impermanent life is and why we get to try to stay present, to be alive and live with purpose. "To live is to die, and to die is to live and it's the great paradox of autumn that it is so beautiful, and yet everything is dying". Shakespeare writes ~ That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. In me thou see’st the twilight of such day As after sunset fadeth in the west; Which by and by black night doth take away, Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest. Recognize the beauty autumn brings in both life and in death. The autumn equinox symbolizes the first days of fall, usually lasts only 12 hours, and it occurs usually during the 3rd week of September.
Spiritually, the autumn equinox is the practice of gratitude for the year (the harvest) and the clearing of space for an evolving new beginnings and growth. Each season of our lives brings enlightenment and fall is not exception. Fall represents changes in nature and in our souls. When we realign with activities and people that add meaning, we get to grow spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Slowing down, rebalancing and rejuvenation are all benefits of autumn equinox rituals, which allows each of us to go within and recenter. Most people I know seem to be on a spiritual or a religious path, in which they dig deep to find meaning in their lives. The same thing happens when one is nearing the end of life, or after a person has died. We go within, we seek purpose so that we can remain connected to people and events that are important in our lives. Cultivating autumn rituals help us to connect to our core values and to the essence of whom we are as humans, a framework to our inner beings. Find an autumn ritual that you can continue to grow, so that you can nourish the seasons of change. Light a cancel and focus on the flame to calm the mind. Discover what is in balance, and what is out of balance in your life. Ask yourself what you need to bring more into your life, and what you need to let go in your life. Attend to nature and pay attention to what is happening in the trees and animals. See the connection of the fall to our spirits, and understand the deep alliance it has to life, and lean into the shifting passage of time. Seek silence, embrace and trust what comes to you in the varying rituals. Designating time to go within and to seek what brings you meaning, is an important avenue for self care, which is really, self repair.
Our life, like seasons, have purpose, and when we take the time to recognize the need for space, we can become even more mindful of what is important to us. Our lives - which include not only the physical, but the mental and spiritual make up our essence. What we focus on, where we place our valuable time and with whom we spend our precious commodity with - all create whom we are and what is important to us. At the end of life, life becomes really simple. There is not a great need for more stuff, more money or more prestige. There is, however, plenty of room for love, serenity and compassion. The more we can focus, now, on what brings value to our lives, the more we can live with fewer regrets. We seek with purpose and we receive plenty of gratitude. Space can help us to slow down, reevaluate and realign with what, and whom, matters most. Introspection helps us to identify what, in our life, needs cleaning up, keeping or discarding. Here are a few ways to create space, so that your soul can open up ~ Declutter - not only physically, but emotionally and spiritually. Making space for people/events that bring joy, not obligations. Gratitude - a healthy, and daily dose, of what we are grateful for. Release yourself from thinking you know best and keep an open mind. Reaffirm to yourself, that autumn brings the much needed space for stillness, to go within, refocus and recenter. Most of us, depending on where we are in the world, are stepping away from the long and hot summer days and are entering the shorter and cooler days ahead.
Fall is the time of year, where we again see changes in our surroundings, attuning ourselves not only to the changes of nature, but also to progression of our lives. Shorter days give us the opportunities to go within, reflect with our past and perhaps to prepare for our future - gaining a better understanding of what our true essence is and how to incorporate a way of living to achieve it. At the end of ones life people often become very reflective and seek to find meaning in past events. Let's not wait until we, or our loved ones, are approaching end-of-life. Let's get proactive, NOW, and start taking time to prepare by ~ Looking at what matters most and realign your values to what you chose to bring into your life. Get centered. Go within. Connect to your roots, Nourish your soil. NOW. Hygge - pronounced hue-gah is "a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being" (which is a defining characteristic of Danish culture).
Hygge is a Norwegian word and it translates loosely as well-being and as " the quality of being warm and comfortable that gives a feeling of happiness". Isn't autumn the perfect time of year to begin cultivating your focus on people and events that bring contentment and comfort, while allowing your spirit and body to rest and recharge? Taking the time to see the moments in your life to create meaning and purpose are profound ways to connect to the coziness of autumn, yet we often get too busy doing life, rather than going within and seeking. Being in the moment, being present and slowing down allows us to cultivate what is important and set aside precious time for friends and loved ones. Life is short, and highly unpredictable, and if we take the time now to merge ourselves to what brings purpose, we too, can be comfortable with the slowing of time during fall. Here are a few ideas on how to incorporate Hygge into your life now ~ Be with people that bring joy and contentment. Reduce time dedicated to those that do not bring peace. Be mindful and pay attention to the wonders of life. Sunrise, sunset, crisp air, puffy clouds & leaves changing are fascinating. Seek experiences that bring joy versus those that just fill time. Snuggle with a blanket, drink a warm soothing beverage and light candles. Use the fall phase of life to create an atmosphere and environment that dedicates itself to filling the soul with wonder, creativity and stillness. Create purpose and hygge. Autumn -
If you are lucky enough to live in an area where the leaves change colors, the air becomes crisp and cool, the days become shorter, yet they are set among bright blue skies and migrating birds, then you are lucky enough. Autumn is an opportunity where we can slow down, not only physically but emotionally and spiritually, and reflect on what we have experienced and lean into the awareness of what is truly important in your life. Seek a connection to the deeper meanings of ~ Time and change Wonder of the unknowns Retreat to the comforts of home Creating the balance of doing and being And let go of what is no longer working in your life Reconnect to the stillness and the beauty of autumn and be true to yourself. |
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