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Fall is here. At the advice of my landscaper, I was pulling weeds in my lawn so that he could return to lay down fertilizer and new grass seeds for a future green, lush lawn. As I pulled weeds, I noticed that they seemed more prevalent in some areas of the lawn than others. They seemed to prefer shady areas and the lawn edges near garden beds, concrete or stone pavers. I asked myself why?
I went inside for water and rest after two hours outside, turned on my Sunday church e-service, and the speaker’s topic was about her book, “The Garden Within”. The first words I heard were, “weeds grow where there is a lack of nutrients”. Talk about synchronicity- my answer had arrived via Dr. Anita Phillips. I immediately purchased her book! It caused me to reflect on my own heart’s garden; where were the shady and stony places? Which beliefs I hold are actually weeds, and need plucking?
The Harvest Moon of the fall season signifies not only abundance and celebration, but also time to prepare for darkness, quiet and less provision. It represents a time of balance between the lightness and darkness of the day. It’s a spiritual season; according to Nietzsche, it’s “the season of the soul”.
The loss of daylight and sun is a loss nutrients for us all- plants, animals and humans. The longer nights to come can cause melancholy in some people, myself included. This is a physical reaction to the lack of Vitamin D. Tree leaves change from green to red and yellow and then fly away when sun exposure is reduced. Fall is a time to rest, reflect, repair and get ready for the period of renewed growth and sunlight soon to arrive next spring.
The yearly cycle is the seasons is available to us everyday. Morning and night are opportunities to work, grow, then rest and repair. During these periods of addition and subtraction, growth and contraction, rising and releasing are daily cycles which help us to maintain balance in our emotional, spiritual and physical selves. The circadian rhythms in our bodies, daily exercise routines, meditation practices, de-cluttering schedules and sleep rituals are all tools and mechanisms we can use to maintain equilibrium in our daily lives.
Fall is a perfect time to collect our fruits and to weed out the things we don’t want in our garden to grow next year. Plan ahead for the fruit you want to grow in the next harvest and plant those seeds in the spring or each morning; go at your own pace, find your own rhythm. And remember to rest at the end, and say “It is good”.
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