Imagine Autumn is approaching. Are you most likely…
blissfully denying Autumn is here… gripping tightly to Summer vibes
swapping the swimsuit for a sweatshirt… time to cozy down
swirling, dizzy from endless changes…like the seismic shift that is “back to school”
Whether busy-ness or back to school, the arrival of Autumn is widely neglected in day-to-day dynamics across West. Seasons appear earlier than we often notice.
Before leaves drop to the earth, they shrivel & wither. Before pumpkins are carved, their prickly vines sprawl & crawl across the earth.
The early signs of Autumn are quite subtle, discreet. Faded leaves like faded wallpaper in the background of the mind. Temperatures swing so gently, their fluctuating dance is barely a blip on the radar compared to other dramas of life.
Are subtle signs of Autumn’s arrival around me… or am I simply missing them?
Seeking to discover some early Autumn observations, Calvin & I set out as persistent yet patient detectives. Knowing many signs are subtle, we downshifted to stroll status. A mindful walk, I whispered to Cal.
I placed Autumn in my sights and, in little time, signs of the season absorbed our senses.
Signs of Autumn around me…
screaming cicadas
withering leaves
heat relenting, chill at night
winds of change (not so subtle!)
By the end of the stroll, Autumn slid into center stage of my mind. Calvin’s gaze towards the shifting clouds was a clear signal: the winds of change are accompanying Autumn this very moment.
I’m learning how seasons are reflected around you in the agriculture, changing vegetation, plant cycles. Patterns of weather or pattern animal behaviors (such as hibernation) are seasonal expressions of our earthy environment.
Around me, Autumn’s beginning was already here.
Signs of Autumn within me…
I’m learning from Eastern health how seasons are also reflected within us. These reflections within me often arrive as unspoken metaphors, poetic nudges, analogies, or symbolism. These non-literal observations hold significant value in understanding the whole, according to Eastern health.
So later that night I returned to my chair, curled up with a spiral bound notebook balancing on my outer knee. The Beginning of Autumn scribbled in the upper right corner, just under today’s date. Ahh, a classic header… just like I learned as a kid.
This time, I closed my eyes and positioned Autumn in my mind’s eye, contemplating:
Where is Autumn making it’s arrival known within me? Any subtle sensations in my emotional body? What meaning does my own body & mind hold for Autumn?
My no. 2 pencil could not move fast enough! Again, when I mindfully paused to listen, Autumn was anything but subtle.
Within me, concepts of aging, of decline came spilling onto the page. For example, Autumn is observed shedding leaves around us so we seek to downshift, release, or grieve. These may quite familiar to us.
So, I continued on, believing there were more subtle signs of Autumn to be discovered…
this season can prepare me to navigate new depths of transformation
this season can recognize endings, conclusions, severings, and even deaths
this season can be practice for my grieving process
this season is less a finality - more of a natural continuation
this season implores all to mindfully downshift, practicing safety within our body & mind… even just for a few breaths.
And for this creative project, Autumn is a fitting time to let some of my obstacles die: the expectation to conform, to write a certain style, to question the content’s worthiness, to sacrifice parts of peace for the project’s perfection.
No, theses all need to die.
Join me, readers, in gently engaging with season-centric living like we never have before.
And very soon, in less than two weeks, I’ll revisit with a GUIDE to navigate your season of Autumn.
A Season-Centric Practice in Autumn
Just like Calvin, pick a familiar route you travel on.
Leverage this familiar path to be your own detective. Where is Autumn making it’s arrival known along this path? Any discreet or subtle? Any obvious?
Time after time, make a practice of noting how the same old path is not exactly the same as before.
Scour the landscape, noting even slight changes. Include others, as they often find signs you may not.
Journaling in Autumn
Where is Autumn making it’s arrival known?
Am I mindfully softening to the ways I am aging?
How am I approaching Autumn this year? Am I neglecting any signs or cues to consider something about decay, about shedding?
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