"Here I sit and wait for you....."

"Here I sit and wait for you 'neath the spreading branches. Cool the grass with shade and dew. Sunlight round me dances. Fall is in the air today, hear the wild geese crying. Don't delay come while you may. Snow will soon be flying." This Finnish folk song called Autumn Roundelay is one of my favorite songs to sing this time of year.  It evokes the slowing down of the energy of nature by the very first words....'Here I sit and wait for you.....' Sitting and watching the golden sunlight touch each and every leaf and plant to tell it that the time has come to rest is one of the most beautiful seasonal moments in nature and my favorite time of the year.  I feel a sense of permission to be more quiet and serene just like a beautiful fall afternoon. There is something about the light that angles and stretches the shadows and lengthens the light to a brilliant hue that I think is natures way of creating a brilliant kaleidoscope for us to see through before the darkness descends and winter is upon us.

What better time of year than this to start a meditation practice! If you have been wanting to learn meditation this is the best time of year to begin.  The ability to focus and be quiet is inherent in the very essence of the energy of this time of year. Preparation for the winter months in nature is the process of shutting down the intense production of growth and creation of fruits and flowers that happens in the summer months.  We can follow this pattern in our own lives to align us with the seasonal pace of nature and this will create a sense of belonging to the natural environment that comforts and soothes us decreasing stress. When we are constantly in a busy state or in an artificial indoor environment it creates a disconnection with what we are made of which is natural organic material.  When we spend time in nature we become a part of the environment and an energetic exchange happens.  In a scientific quantification it can look like the simple exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.  But in a more soulful perspective it is the feeling of connection and reciprocity with nature that sustains not only our physical body but also our mental and emotional and spiritual bodies.  This is not an invitation that needs to be complicated and time consuming.  Taking a hike on a natural trail is wonderful but if you do not have the time, simply find trees in your neighborhood that change color and pay attention to them as you go about your day. I have one across the street from my house that I absolutely love!  She is a lovely tree that changes to golden peachy pink colors that range in dark yellow and magenta at different times. I look forward to seeing her change every year.  And she never disappoints me and I feel a connection to her and the seasonal change by watching her progress at each new season.  It has become a meditation of slowing down because nature is never in a hurry but always seems to get everything done. How can we become more like nature and remember that we are also organic material and spiritual energy that needs to spend time quietly connecting to other organic material whether human, vegetable or animal? I suggest starting today to connect to balancing yourself and aligning with the season. You will feel more balanced and content with life and your part in it. After teaching meditation classes for the last 3 years I find that making simple changes is the way to make permanent changes.  Begin to become familiar with the nature that is in your neighborhood and even your own yard. Planting flowers that flourish in different seasons is a wonderful way to stay connected to the changing of seasons.  And when you want to feel balance go out and touch a tree, close your eyes and feel the slowness and perfect pace of the trees growth and trust that you are growing and changing at exactly the perfect pace as well. 

Sending out love and Autumn blessings to all of you!!
AnnKathleen
Divine Inspiration through the Art of Personal Alchemy