On Monday September 23rd the Autumn Equinox occurred. During an equinox we have almost equal amounts of light and dark. Each day after and until the winter solstice we will continue to lose a little more sunlight each day. Traditionally this is known as harvest time; time to gather the summer up and tuck it away in our memories and our cupboards to warm us for the coming winter. For me, turning boxes of soft over ripened tomatoes into red liquid sunshine that I freeze and use throughout the winter months is so satisfying. Like a tomato rescue, they are a few days away from being tossed out. As if I am bottling up summer itself and hiding it in my freezer to savor again in soups and sauces throughout the coming winter. I will miss walking out the front door in the mornings without shoes or jacket, sitting on the front porch waiting for the birds and squirrels to start begging for food and their happy chatter.
With each season we make some memories that will be cherished and thought about lovingly from time to time and undoubtedly a few “stuffed” in a file we would like to delete. If you have a yard or garden, I’m sure you have noticed the blooms have slowed and some trees have already dropped many of their leaves. School is in full swing and even if you don’t have children or children in school, surely you have been stuck behind a school bus, or hear them chugging up your street at what seems to be entirely too early for anyone to be going anywhere. All sure signs that autumn is falling and soon the thermometer will be as well; the cooler temperatures welcome after the summer heat. Still there resides in me a childish sadness that summer is ending and the sunlight dimming.
Truth is, we get energy from the sun. During the summer months when the light of day stretches far into children’s bedtime, we have more energy. We can take a long walk after dinner, finish chores, there are fewer formal engagements and functions we must attend, with so many vacations being taken, summer makes it easy to be excused from just about anything.
Still as the days grow shorter and we find ourselves with less energy our lives seem to speed up and we can become our own worst enemy. The holidays seem to be in our faces so much earlier long before we are even thinking much about them and when they show up on our calendar or in conversation we all look at each other in a daze….uh….I don’t know…aren’t we staying home this year for Thanksgiving? Tempers flare, feelings get hurt, seems to be the same each year. I think one of the reasons is we are tired. We should be going to bed earlier and kicking back some and enjoying the Harvest time. How nice it would be if somehow our society gave us all permission to embrace each season and enjoy when it is happening.
If we are honest and really think about it, as the weather draws us inside, spiritually we go inside as well. Ah, not so easy now is it? Perhaps that is the real hidden fear people have about the winter months. We have more time inside. As we find ourselves forced indoors, we are also forced inside ourselves. We are not always aware that is what we are doing, yet if we have not dealt with a bad relationship or a conflict with our job it ends up as a case of the winter blues. If our bodies are housing for our spirit than we need to tend to it in the same way. Are we not comfortable with the seating? Is there even a place to lie down and rest our spirit to just be with our self, or have we filled every cell and molecule up with the stuff of the outside world? The one statement I hear from clients the most, is they can’t shut off their brain; unable to stop the endless ticker tape going around in their heads and find relaxation and peace.
If you find yourself overscheduled this fall, take inventory. Make a list of what is important and why and what you should stop carrying around, then start clearing. Don’t carry old outdated burdens and worries. Clear the shelves. When you clear something out of your head or your life you make room for something new. No one that owned a business would keep carrying something that stayed on the shelves and no one purchased. When your family and friends stop buying the same excuse you have been selling for years, maybe its time to stop selling it, no one wants it anyway and in fact you can’t even give it away. I believe if we all started telling the truth about our lives the world would change. Think about it. If everyone ridded themselves of their pain where would the pain and misery come from? As you are clearing your head and your surroundings ask yourself two important questions: Does this bring me joy? Or is this robbing me of joy?
You may be surprised some artifact or heirloom you have been holding onto may be causing you more stress than joy. Possessions can end up possessing you. People too. Sometimes friendships/relationships run their course and yet we continue to carry them around and hold onto them. Clear what you can, forgive those you can, including yourself. You will feel much better when you do. The equinox is about striking a balance between light and dark. If the scales are tipping to one side, lighten up and even things out. You will be glad you did and will be better prepared for days and nights ahead.
Until next time,
Cynthia