Autumn - A Season of the Soul
Our creator is calling out to us. He uses the colorful season of autumn to offer us wisdom in slowing down, surrendering and letting go.
Autumn is a time for beautiful changes.
The weather changes. The colors change. Our activities change. Our daily regimen changes.
Our food changes.
we change.
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." - F. Scott Fitzgerald
God invites us to turn inward, to reflect on our journey through life and the experiences that have brought us this far into being.
Each one of us holds a treasure chest full of hopes, dreams and passions as well as overwhelm, guilt and sorrow of some sort. It is at this time where we can ponder a little more on cultivating hope in our heart. It is a time where we can finally decide to let go of the things that have hurt us. As a caterpillar must eventually leave its sheath - we need to be willing to walk away from the complaints of our hearts. God doesn’t call us to do it alone. In fact, He says we can put our cares on Him because He really and truly cares for us. Knowing He is alive and active in our life brings the peace the human heart needs.
As the days change from the warmer air and longer nights to cooler air and shorter evenings - our physical body and our mental quality also go through a big shift. Ayurveda considers a Ritucharya (ritu- season, charya- disciple) or the disciplines of the seasons similar to our dinacharya or daily routine. If we continue without pause, we may not recognize the changes happening inside of us. Yet, if we pay attention, we will end up finding all the potential that lies deep within.
Pay close attention. Begin to feel the subtle shifts.
We can create a daily routine for ourselves that will open us up to more opportunity to reflect - allowing God’s unseen work to be felt in our own person.
Create an Autumn Routine to Support Going Inward
Our skin starts to feel more dry and we see that dry quality within our mind as feelings begin to change. Sadness or anxiety may creep in. We might feel a little lonelier. Our body may want to go at a slower pace. We may start to experience more indigestion,
irregular sleep and eating patterns.
Consider waking with the sun, and this may mean a little later than in summer. Allow yourself to come out of a sleep more slowly than before. Say a prayer before getting out of bed and give thanks for the things you do have.
Comfort your soul after waking with a warm cup of water. Take the time to sit in contemplation as you look at something beautiful such as a photo of scenery, or outside at the wind blowing through the trees or allow your eyes to soak in the warmth of a flickering candle.
Take a little extra time to prepare a warm and nourishing breakfast made with grains, ghee, spices and stewed fruit.
Allow for more quiet in the house so everyone can find their place of calm and have time to reflect. Bring in soft sounds like piano, violin and slow sitar music into the home.
Slow it down in forms of talking, and doing. Consider a lighter exercise routine and halt negative thinking patterns. Cultivate nourishment in both body and soul in all you do and consume - be it movies, music, food and speech.
Now is a great time to journal thoughts and ideas.
Make meal times consistent to allow for your body to maintain a balanced rhythm of digestion and elimination.
Greet your bedtime with a little extra attention. Take the time to rub some oil on the bottoms of your feet before bed. Nourish your senses by breathing in lovely smells of bergamot, cinnamon bark, frankincense and lavender essential oil.
Keep consistent wake and sleep times to give your body the energy it needs in this healing time.
A Changing Soul
Who you were yesterday is not who you are today. Today, you have the choice to harness the energies and mindset that will make you who you want to be tomorrow.
While change brings temporary stressors into our life, change is necessary for growth.
Change brings meaning to our journey and rewards us with unforeseen blessings.
Change gives us the opportunity to experience new things.
Trusting in our creator and in the place He has set us, will bring peace in the changes that seem beyond our control.
This autumn, feed your soul the gift of change, embracing the choice to leave things behind and turning your eyes forward. Look to nature as your teacher. As you notice the dry leaves that have fallen to the ground, let that speak a message into your own life. As you see the green turn to reds and oranges, what does that say to you? Can you hear your soul asking you to bravely enhance your own colors that have always been tucked inside? As the rains fall and the weather cools, as you spend more time indoors with less rushing, consider letting your body and mind also surrender and slow down.
“I hope I can be the autumn leaf, who looked at the sky and lived. And when it was time to leave, gracefully it knew life was a gift." - Dodinsky
Journeying together,
Kari Prabhakar