By Heather Caldwell, LPCC
Season change has been counted on, followed, and celebrated for generations. We plant in the spring, grow and tend in the summer, harvest in the fall, and rest in the winter. There is a rhythm in it. Season change marks a time of transition as we slowly and then rapidly move from one season to the next. It’s like a wave in the ocean. It seems to move in slowly, rising to a crest, and then rapidly coming to shore, only to retreat back and do it all over again.
As we transition into Fall, the building feeling of the wave coming in is starting to make itself known for some. Last year, the transition into fall brought many questions and rising anxieties: how to do the kids’ online school while working, what will the holidays look like this year with COVID, how long will this last, and what happens now that we’re all moving indoors? This year, the questions aren’t incredibly different: will the kids move to online learning again, if so, what will we do this time around, are we going to have to go back to hunkering down, what will the holidays look like this year, when will our lives return to “normal”?
With the Delta variant and the potential for new strains to pop up, mixed in with dropping temperatures and increasing darkness - many of us are experiencing a rising wave of anxiety,
This blog post looks at the changing season, and more specifically the fall equinox, as a time of celebration, a time to come inward, and a time to look forward. It offers some prompts that might be helpful to navigate the unknown, to connect to the natural world and our rhythms, and to help us prepare for a healthy fall and winter season as we begin to move inside and slow down.
Fall Equinox and the Beauty of Seasons
Fall equinox, on September 21st, marks the halfway point between summer and winter and marks a change of things to come. We go from the summer months of work and play, of tending and growing, of long warm days filled with sunshine, and of outdoor abundance - to harvesting what we’ve sown, to preparing for winter, and to slowly coming indoors and inward. The plants slow down as the days and evenings cool off. The animals begin their migration home, or start their process for hibernation, for the long winter that’s to come.
Mother Nature shows us in many ways that transitions can be hard and beautiful. Fall is a wonderful example of this. We wake up to the stunning spectacle of changing leaves. Reds, purples, oranges, greens, browns, and yellows fill the trees and paint the plains. The vibrancy of colors is awe-inspiring, so inspiring that many of us go out of our way to leaf peep and snap photos to capture the beauty. And yet what we’re seeing are the trees shedding the old, slowing down to rest, before they can welcome in the new and bloom again. We are seeing the beauty of transition in nature.
We see the rivers, creeks, lakes, and reservoirs become shallow or even dry up. This change exposes the power of the once running water and how its flowing power shapes the rocks, the riverbeds, and the banks.
We see frost early in the morning and our breath late at night - letting us know that even the air we breathe has shape and its form changes with the seasons. The changing season brings to light that which we usually do not see.
The night sky is shaped by the changing season, too. The nights grow longer. New constellations emerge. And if we’re lucky enough, we can see the MilkyWay and the northern lights in the darkness. Both reminding us and connecting us with the mystery of the unknown and the infinite possibility that is lying in wait.
As humans, the season change is a wonderful opportunity for us to do the same - to reflect and transform. Fall is a time of harvesting and shedding. It is a time of bringing in that which nourishes us, and letting go of that which doesn’t nourish us. It is a time to let go so we can make room for something new. It’s a time to mentally prepare for the shorter days, the darkness, and the holiday season. Like last year, this year’s process feels especially important as we again go into the fall season experiencing another round of COVID.
Activities to Connect to Fall
In our busy lives, it’s easy to disconnect from nature and what’s happening around us - even in beautiful Colorado! Stopping to connect with nature can be powerful. It also helps us to connect to ourselves, our rhythms, and our ancestors.
Connect with Nature and Bring It Indoors
Meditate: Reflect on how the Earth is gracefully and beautifully transitioning, how it is shedding, how it is slowly going inward. Reflect on your own process of transition and shedding. What lessons can you learn from nature right now? What do you want to release? What can you shed in order to make room for new growth?
Journal: What do season transitions mean for you? What does the changing landscape stir up for you? How are you connecting to nature now? What lessons can you learn from nature right now?
Create: Find fallen leaves, pinecones, dried flowers, rocks, and downed twigs. Bring them indoors to create a space that allows you to connect with nature indoors. You can create a piece of art and hang it on the wall. You can create a centerpiece on your dining room table. You can create an installation on your alter. The entire family can decorate pinecones or create art using the fall leaves.
Connect with Rhythms and Movement
Meditate: Reflect on your patterns of movement. Feel into what you might be resisting or avoiding. The rhythms of the seasons and the resilience of your ancestors supports you to gather up what no longer serves you. In doing so, you are making room for abundance and growth. What do you need to release in order to grow? Feel into areas of abundance and growth. The rhythm of the season and the wisdom of your ancestors supports you to step into your own power and creation. How can you harvest these areas of abundance in order to reap what you’ve sown and live into your power?
Move: Create a fall playlist that helps you tap into the rhythm of the season. Songs about release, about change, about letting go. Songs about love, about abundance, about strength. Songs that allow your body to sway and tremble and slow down. Throw a dance party and allow your body to move like the trees, to sway like the tall grass, and to float like the leaves falling to the ground. Invite your family and friends to create their playlist. Have a Zoom dance party as you all shimmy and shake!
Connect with Your Lineage and Yourself
Meditate: Reflect on your ancestors. Go back several generations if you can. In your mind's eye, reflect on what their life might have looked like in the harvest season. Look at your life now. Contemplate on the similarities and/or differences. See how their path has in some ways laid the groundwork for you to be where you are. Forgive them for their transgressions. Show them compassion for their hardships. Thank them for their resilience, for their hard work, and for their wisdom. How can their journey inform yours? How can the past help you step into the now? What stories are holding you back? What stories want to be rewritten? What is the new story you want to live into?
Journal: Not all families are created equal. We have blood family, chosen family, and family of circumstance. For some there is overlap and for others, they are quite different. There might be toxic and loving members in all areas. As we move into the fall, what boundaries can you create to foster healthy and loving relationships? What relationships might you want to strengthen and deepen? What relationships might you want to shed as they no longer serve you? What are you holding onto that keeps you from connecting? How can you release this in order to create abundance in your relationships?
Create: What nourishes you? Is it cooking, art, movement, family time, being outdoors, something else? Make a list of all the things that nourish you. How can you bring nourishment into your life? Set up a time each week to do something that nourishes you. This is just for you. You can invite others to join in, but the idea is that you get to feed your soul and connect with yourself in order to create abundance in your life. You are worth it! We cannot pour from an empty cup. This is time to refill your cup and allow it to overflow. Allow yourself the opportunities to be in flow, to drink deeply, and live fully.
As always, the therapists at Evolve in Nature are here to help you along your journey. We are heading indoors as the temperatures drop and with a pandemic still around, the added stress, anxiety, depression, and exhaustion are real. If you or a loved one needs support, please reach out. We are a phone call or email away.