Autumn’s Call: Let it Fall
Autumn catches our attention by dressing up and then undressing. Summer’s leaf-green robes turn an array of flamboyant colors and then slowly fall away, revealing the shoulder of a branch here and the torso of a trunk there until much of the landscape is bare. Nature provides us with quite a show as trees and plants shed their bright leaves, freeing themselves of what is no longer necessary.
As a keen observer of Nature, I deeply appreciate the qualities of each season. Autumn, it appears, celebrates the shedding of the old…. and we are all invited to the party! Imagine your invitation fluttering down into your hands, scripted upon a golden leaf:
‘Tis the Season to Let Go
Color what no longer serves you with gratitude
and let it fall away
Grateful, Grateful, Grateful, Gone…
RSVP “Yes” and lighten up! Living with what you no longer want or need is heavy, cumbersome, and blocks the flow of vital energy that nurtures your life. Autumn encourages you to be like a tree and shed the possessions, relationships, attitudes, and habits that don’t serve you now. In doing so, you align with the essence of Fall and prepare your inner and outer space to receive Winter’s gifts of stillness, introspection, and the inception of new dreams.
Contemplative Practice: Stand or sit near a deciduous tree whose leaves are changing color. Choose a fallen leaf, feel its lightness, and observe its colors. How does the leaf symbolize a person, place, object, or way of being that has passed – or is passing – out of your life? What can you do now to honor and celebrate it? Have you, with gratitude, let it go? If you haven’t let it go yet, how can you do so now? Consider jotting down your thoughts in a journal and pressing the leaf between the pages…..
Bach Flowers and The BaGua
by Kac Young Ph.D, DCH, N.D.
Bach Flowers (pronounced Batch) heal from the inside out. They work at the invisible level of energy and transform a negative condition into a positive one. If you’re an old-hand at Bach Flower Remedies you will understand this concept right away. If you’re new to the remedies, maybe the explanation ahead will help you.
Decades ago I became interested in the Bach Flower Remedies because I liked how I responded to Rescue Remedy – the Big Daddy of the remedy collection. Rescue Remedy was my go-to potion when I was under stress or facing a challenge. It worked so well for me, and changed my pent-up anxiety into such a calm front, that I bought a book so I could learn more.
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Home Sweet Sacred Home
I have spent the past 2 weeks in Northern California in WSFS teacher Karen Abler Carrasco’s home – a place I’ve visited before and have always loved. Karen lives in a wonderful vintage farmhouse she calls Rosie, who is like a “big mother hen protecting her chicks” (Karen’s son David’s description). Rosie is painted a soft buttery yellow with lovely red doors and lots of windows. Her garden is a series of outdoor rooms, offering shady and sunny places to enjoy the many flowers, vegetables, and trees Karen has planted, as well as the pond she and David built together. It is truly a Home Sweet Home.
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Spring IN!
O Spring, we emerge
from our Winter nests hungry
for your vibrant growth
Mother Nature is awakening all around us, as Winter’s cold stillness transforms into a flurry of innumerable births. Springtime, the season of the Wood element, is tremendously revitalizing, the ultimate green drink for the spirit. That ‘spring in our step’ is real as we respond to a world of new life unfurling around us.
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Feng Shui Definitions: Plants
Plants are superb Ch’i enhancers when they are healthy and vibrant. They are used in Feng Shui to enhance, improve, and solve many problems, and they also provide us with the most fundamental enhancement, cleaning the air around us.
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Feng Shui Definitions: Objects of Nature
Nature objects can be very Ch’i-enhancing when they connect you to the special experiences you’ve had outdoors. Bowls of shells, baskets of pine cones, vases of seed pods; and collections of rocks, stones, and fossils can be the most evocative mementos, especially if you gathered them yourself. The memories associated with your nature objects keep you connected to the natural world, even when you live in an urban setting. And unlike plants, flowers, and pets, nature objects are easy-care, requiring only an occasional cleaning.
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