Sep 2011
Autumn
09/ 15/11 Filed in: Perceptions
Fall is my favorite time of year. I expect this is almost genetic… since my family is from New England! Some of my earliest memories have to do with huge piles of crinkly leaves that I was either jumping into or kicking at as I walked to school. I loved the early mornings of crisp air when I could see my breath and the later day when the cardigan sweater my grandma knitted for me would be shed for some last summer-like afternoon play.
At times of my life when I have lived away from clear seasons, I found myself searching for color changes in the leaves constantly. It felt like something was deeply amiss.
In the last 6 years of horse partnership I have become sensitive to an even earlier signal for the approaching fall season. As the days start to shorten my horse starts her second shed of the year in preparation for the arrival of her long winter coat. This is a very subtle shift but another way that nature prepares her critters. There is something very soothing for me in this awareness. I think it has to do with seeing the reality of a far greater order that doesn't have anything to do with human fabrications, politics, economics etc. Knowing that a natural cycle is ever present beneath the confusing noise of daily living provides a source of courage. This is a sacred experience for me.
I believe Fall is all about the shedding process. Inward and downward movement of sap starts a "letting go" or surrendering. Leaves change color and descend. Natural forces move down toward their roots. It is a time for me that is opportune for letting go of old structures and patterns of behavior. Not accidental that it would be Fall when I am about shedding my coastal life and offering my house for sale….preparation for new growth! It clearly is a vulnerable time when there is a time of suspension and a call for contemplation. I hope that I will bring gratitude into this time of reflection and courage in facing uncertainty.
This is How it Begins.
