Seasons change
Today marks the halfway point of the fall season. It offers us an invitation to pause.
Reflect on your fall so far. Who have you been? What have you done?
Do you want to keep being that and doing that?
Watching as the leaves change colors, slowly beginning to die, release/let go/fall off, I am always reminded of the beauty in letting go. There is beauty in surrender. There is peace in releasing what no longer needs to be there, making space.
Let me tell you, life has been “life-ing” recently. Anyone else feel that?
Viewing my external world and my internal world as sometimes in “perfect alignment” and other times in stark contrast, I often reflect on the seasons. There’s always something deeper on offer for me and this has been a helpful metaphor that I share with many people in my life.
Most of us experience all 4 seasons (fall, winter, spring, summer). However, depending on where you live, this might not be true or they may not be as prominent as I’ll describe them and how I experience them. Let’s begin with fall!
In the fall (here in the Northern hemisphere and depending where you live), we experience the back-to-school buzz and the changing of the weather. The leaves change colors and fall from the trees. The days become shorter and the darkness begins to grow longer. As we approach winter, we witness the death, decay, releasing, and letting go of the physical fall. Plus, there is an energetic shift, an experience within us, to begin to draw inwards.
Transitioning into winter, it’s dark but the days begin to slowly become longer again. The trees are bare. There may be snow on the ground or covering the trees. Many animals go into hibernation and we are invited into slowness and stillness honoring the wisdom of the winter. We are preparing for the spring, yet not quite there. The winter is an opportunity to go layers deeper in our healing, creating space in our lives, and laying the groundwork for whatever is to come next.
When the spring arrives, there is a slow integration and transition into the season. It starts off cold still. Many of us have a rainy spring and although the days are growing longer, we don’t always feel that. The rain leads to fertile soil for the new life that is preparing to sprout from the ground as spring season progresses. It’s a trickle effect over time as we then make our way towards the summer season. Flowers bloom and blossom. New baby animals are born. We hear the birds chirping again. Beauty is on display. New life shows off!
The summer brings excitement, joy, life, and expression. We have warmer months. There are often summer storms, but even they are brief and almost feel purposeful to cool off a hot day. There’s continued growth of plants around us and a sense of expansion in the summertime. What we don’t often realize is that the days are slowly starting to get shorter again to prepare for our next seasonal transition. Then as the days shorten more, we move back into fall.
With all that imagery in place, I want to introduce, or maybe remind you of, a Scripture verse from the book of Ecclesiates. If you’re anything like me and love the movie Footloose, you will certainly know this one!
Ecclesiastes 3:1 states, “There is a time for everything under the sun // under the heavens.” There is a time for it all. It all holds a place and serves a purpose in our lives. God allows it all. There is a time for death, letting go, shedding, and releasing. There is a time for clarification and liberation. There is a time for mourning and sorrow. There is a time for joy and celebration. We must accept what is and what is not, trusting and knowing that all is coming in its own time. All in God’s time. We are all going through seasons. There are cycles within cycles within cycles…
For any of my female-bodied readers, these seasons can relate to our inner seasons and hormonal cycles.
Winter - bleed | Spring - follicular phase | Summer - ovulation | Fall - luteal phase
What inner season are you going through? Spring, summer, fall, winter? Is this the same as your outer season or is there a contrasting conversation that gets to happen?
Is it a season of joy and celebration? Is it a season of heartache?
Is it a season of community and sharing?
Is it a season of singleness? Of heartbreak? Of rebuilding?
Are you going through the depths of darkness, shedding, and releasing?
Is it a season of self-discovery? Of deep internal work? Or is it a season of partnership and collective work?
Is it a season of health issues? Or a season of stability and good health?
Is it a season of things falling into place? Or a season of things unraveling?
Are you going through a season of doubt? Or a season of promise? A season of answered prayers?
I’m also here to remind you that all of these can be true at the same time. We can experience all of this in a single day depending on what season we’re in.
P.S. I saw this post on Instagram (@toyoufromsteph) (https://www.instagram.com/toyoufromsteph/p/DBq9BnEiH4G/?hl=en) and reshared it on my story. It resonated strongly enough that I mentioned it in my yoga class this week and wanted it to have a place here as well.
