The Gift of Autumn

It’s a strange and wonderful reality that marks this time of the year-one that actually feeds our soul’s need

• to cocoon,
• to nest,
• to hunker down after the sheer busyness of summer.

Fall is the fourth and final major sun cycle of the year and it means a time of changing focus and direction in our lives. From the Equinox, Thursday, September 22, we can notice our consciousness moving slowly inward as the nights lengthen and the days shorten.

Following our natural inclination to turn inward allows us to find the wisdom and inspiration for our next cycle.

The chaotic times of summer and its rapid growth cycle meant lots of changes (some of loss and some of gain).

And so, fall is our time to harvest and to take stock of what we have harvested. Reflection on both our outward and inward results will carry us into the winter and following seasons.

If our returns this season aren’t what we hoped for, we can find our balance and look within for what we want to change within ourselves to assure greater success ahead.

Because we are human, we can’t really hibernate and we can’t fall dormant.

(okay, we can fall dormant, but it isn’t pretty. Think grungy gray sweatpants, uncombed hair, unmade bed, unraked leaves…)

Nevertheless, we do slow down.

And that’s healthy.

 I really do like autumn!

For the first time in months, I can savor the sluggishness that all of us, once in a while, crave. After all, in a mere 90 days (13 weeks) the longer and brighter days will begin to return to us again.

And autumn is so beautiful here in the Pacific Northwest!

If it’s falling leaves remind us of the cycle of life, so be it.

They and life are beautiful and we are privileged to be here now to enjoy it.

Every season is a gift. And autumn is an especially poignant one that we can treasure for the opportunity it provides us to

• reflect,
• relax,
• recover,
• renew, and
• rejoice!

What does autumn mean to you?