Fall Musings

Fall is the season when Mother Nature prepares for her deep sleep, shedding her garments of the seasons past. In our own lives, if we can observe nature’s pattern and follow suit, we will be healthier and happier.  In Chinese Medicine philosophy, all phenomena is classified into five different categories according to its nature. These five categories are designations according to the elements of Earth, Water, Wood, Fire and Metal. Fall is related to the metal element and one of its positive attributes is the ability to let go.

When the metal element is in balance in our own bodies, we are open to the environment and are inspired. We are able to let in fresh new energy and are able to let go of the past that no longer serves us. We are open to giving of ourselves and to receiving. We are able to experience all facets of life, embracing its impermanence and are flexible to change with circumstances. When our metal element is in disharmony, we are rigid in our thinking and unable to forgive and let go of the past. We hold on to sadness, unable to grieve and honor change.

Fall is a good time for us to take stock of what we need to store up and what we need to let go of, just as nature does. The trees are beginning the process of storing their vital nutrients, sending their sap down into their roots for storage. When that process is over, the leaves, having spent their vitality, are let go of and allowed to fall. This process makes space for a new cycle of growth and fruition to begin again after a long winter’s rest and rejuvenation. Come spring, when nature sends out the awakening call, all trees, scrubs, tubers and seeds heed to the call of nature and begin the cycle once more.

Life can be so simple if we are in tune with nature and follow her lead. What can we be doing now to follow in the footsteps of Mother Nature? For a gardener like myself, the natural process of storing the summer’s harvest, “putting up” food is what takes up a large portion of this season, in preparation for the lean times of the winter months, when nature is at rest. Of course with modern technology and abundant fossil fuel, we have fallen out of that natural cycle of living. It is a good idea to return to these practices to keep in step with the changing times. We will feel more secure if we know that we have food stocked up in case of crisis.

The natural process of putting up food, has a psychological advantage. When we experience nature’s abundance and the miracle of life, the practice of gratitude is natural and we are able to appreciate what we have and feel satisfied and full. Our perspective is one of richness in body and soul. We drop the insatiable consumer mentality of our modern culture.

In the Fall, we begin to wind down physically, mentally and emotionally to join in winter’s rest and rejuvenation, until the cycle begins again in the spring. In Canada we call the people who go to a warmer climate in the winter, the snowbirds. Nothing is wrong with that, if you can afford to. If we can’t, maybe getting in tune with nature’s cycle is a good idea. We do what we can to wind down the activity in our lives, so we can rest and recuperate during the Winter. Then we will be prepared for a new cycle of rebirth, growth and maturity and so it  goes.