Saturday was Mabon, the beginning of fall, and I can feel the change in many ways.  It’s amazing how abruptly it becomes obvious that the days are shortening, shadows are longer, the humidity of summer has broken, and that nights now require blankets.

A few crickets remain calling each night, but the turn toward silence has become apparent, especially when walking through meadows.  While several weeks ago there was a continuous chorus of insect life there are now days where I hear long spaces between calls.

This change of seasons can also be felt in our own lives.  For me, the cooler weather leaves me feeling energized – being in the kitchen to cook and preserve the harvest becomes more pleasant and I feel a sense of vigor that can sometimes be squelched with the intense heat of summer.

I love kneading bread and then getting cozy with a book while the smells bursting from the oven surround me and bring a kind of whole-hearted joy that can only come from learning to live more simply.   This feeling also seems a part of the joy of fall.

This holiday of harvest, Mabon, marks the last turn of the wheel of the year before we begin a new cycle at the end of October.  Thus, this is an important time of reflection as we look back on a year of Earth living.  In my own life, I realize how remarkable it is that my journey follows a similar course to what I’ve observed in nature.

Last year, as we turned toward darkness, I was in the midst of a culmination of serious life changes that I was struggling to understand.  It was a dark night for my soul – a time where I deeply questioned my beliefs about the universe, our cultural expectations, and about who I am.  Through the dark of the winter months I struggled with these questions, wrestled with my thoughts, and leaned on the natural world for support.

From there, my evolution with these issues continued to follow what I experienced in the cycle of nature.  At the winter solstice I was reminded that light would come to these struggles, and as the days became brighter, I followed suit.

In spring, I planted seeds physically but knew it was also important to plant seeds for self change and so I asked that I would find greater peace and understanding of my circumstances.  I tended these seeds throughout the summer, guided their growth through action and intent, and now in this season of abundance, I am harvesting the joy that I have sown.  Things have come full circle and I have reached a place of greater understanding, peace, and contentment with where I am in my life’s progression.

While the voyage was not easy, I am proud of the risks that were taken to find greater alignment with my life’s purpose and I have moved into greater acceptance of some things over which I had little control.

Following the Earth’s path, we learn that all things are constantly in a state of change.  To live fully we must embrace the inevitability of these fluctuations.  We can choose to enjoy living in the present moment rather than longing for the past, or becoming obsessed with expectations of the future.

We can learn to live with the rhythms of nature, to find meaning in the stories of our own life, and to create a new culture that also finds values in these stories.  This is what will guide us into a future that can be sustained, away from a path of destruction and toward a connection with the ‘all that is’.

Shared on: Frugal Days Sustainable Ways