|
Walk around feeling like a leaf. Know you could tumble any second then decide what to do with your time
– Naomi shiab Nye
Autumn is a time of transformation in the environment. Both in the external environment of nature, as well as our internal weather and landscapes. Mother Nature always affects the nature within us. As the trees go back into their roots and begin to shed what is dying and ready to be released, we are also afforded the opportunity to draw in, retreat, reflect, and reconnect with what we are ready to let go of.
Many spiritual traditions use this season of Autumn to reflect on behavior and choices made over the year. This is an especially potent time with the recent New Moon representing new growth opportunities. In this process, we have the invitation to review any regrets, mistakes, or challenges that have arisen in the past year. This contemplation is meant to be a learning opportunity, so these habits, actions, or responses are not repeated and instead replaced with more skillful or just actions in the future. There is always room for growth and the opportunity to notice obstacles to our growth.
Can we engage in this process of letting go of what is preventing or blocking new growth with compassion vs judgment, towards ourselves?
Can we recognize that it is never too late to notice a pattern we are engaging in that no longer serves or causes harm and shift to a different, more skillful path? Change doesn’t need to be immediate or dramatic. Small actions over time add up. We all need space for grace.
In this time of unpredictability and change, can we find a tether / a life raft to hold onto in the form of a daily practice or ritual, such as meditation, yoga, spending time in community, cooking foods that are nourishing and harvested from the abundance of this past season?
To begin again is not about erasing what has come before, but about softening the grip of what we think we already know. It is to walk into each moment with openness and curiosity.
|
