As the colors of the leaves and temperature change, indicating that autumn has fallen upon us. I have noticed the busy squirrels gathering with such intent. Busily moving and stashing before the winter comes. I wonder if I too should be doing such work in some way. For me, fall brings a great feeling of gathering in warmth. The gesture I feel for autumn is this — arms opened wide, scooping in all that is around, then wrapping inward, hugging myself with grace and security.
Looking to Mother Nature during this time, there’s lots of preparation going on before winter hits. Leaves dropping, furry friends’ winter coats in full, bears feasting before hibernation; all are preparing for the potential freezing cold, darkness and lack of food. One could say our animal friends are building up a reserve for the coming season. Most of us humans in modern society are no longer directly facing these once very prevalent threats. Yet these feelings and archetypal energies still arise around us and within us.
With this kind of “preparation” energy or “reserve building” feeling so potent and alive, I challenge you to really take advantage of these energies in a greater way. We may not need to create reserves of food and firewood per se, but maybe reserves of goodness and joy??
Taking some time to really deepen our connection with nature, taking some deep breaths outside in the early morning, making time to just relax in the presence of loved ones with no agenda except to enjoy the time spent together. Building up that reserve of goodness, gathering up the light of joy through love, for that light will help carry us through the colder, darker times of winter.
I imagine what it would be like if we could all hold on to these warm, loving, nurturing feelings. What if we could keep a kind of reserve of these feeling in us at all times, reaching for them at our most challenging times, bringing them forward within us? What if we could bring them to life inside us at those moments of fear and sadness, fully embodying those past feelings of warmth, love and nurturing? Oh, how any challenge would seemingly grow smaller and the benevolent outcomes seem infinite. What a true gift to the world that could be!
I personally have been applying this in my life and have found that even though things around me are chaotic, sometimes toxic, and overwhelming, these feelings such as gratitude for my feet that I am standing on are my anchor in life, sunken deeply in love and warmth during even the darkest, coldest times.
So please, join me in making this fall one full of goodness and cherished memories to carry into the future.
With an open heart, I thank you and may your days be as bright as the shining stars above us.
I am Adria Morey, laughing and loving my way through this earthly journey. Beyond blessed and eternally grateful. I am a Waldorf high school graduate, currently furthering my Waldorf education through LifeWays in Arizona. Now married to Alex Morey and celebrating our children Odin(2) and Oswald(1). I find myself hungry for a broader understanding of existence and fresh perspectives on the ever-changing world that we live in.