During the autumn months, our natural world begins to slow down and prepare itself for the coming cold; and this season invites us also to slow down, to witness the process of release that is happening around us.  And within us. Choose one element that you can see each day -- a tree on your way to work, the withering stalks in cornfields, rosebushes whose blooms are disappearing -- and allow it to become your teacher. Notice the changes that occur day by day.  Pay attention to this teacher’s response to different weather conditions. Take some time one day to sit with your element and try to imagine what is happening throughout this life form. What might it feel like for a plant to drop its leaves? What affect do the shortening days have on its form?  Is anything happening hidden from your view? Pay attention to beauty of release that occurs in front of you.

 

Then, allow this teacher to focus your awareness inward; pay attention to the beauty of release happening inside you. 

 

Questions to ponder as you walk, journal, or discuss:

1. What seems to be winding down in my life right now?

2. Is there anything that I need to release in order to make room for new life?

3. How can I use this season of “falling” to help me forgive and be forgiven?