Free~Falling
 

Of all the seasons, there is none I love more and anticipate more than the Fall season. Autumn brings with it sweater-weather and the incredible fall colors; it means football and the World Series, Halloween and Thanksgiving and all the preparations leading up to Christmas. Each of The Four Seasons offer their own insights, smells, feelings, and fantasies, and they also offer fresh and vital insights into the seasons of life itself and our relationship to God.

Winter is a season of quiet reverence which is then followed by spring, a sense of refreshing and encouraging renewal. Then comes summer, a season of enjoyable and much needed rest These must eventually give way to autumn. It is during the fall that the foliage changes along with the weather; the birds make their annual journey southward; squirrels finish storing their nuts,; salmon start their swim back to their spawning grounds; and bears prepare for a long hibernation.

 For human beings, we can view the season as a preparation with our own kind of hibernation. It is a time for reflection, a time to think about our lives and gain new perspective as we assess our achievements as well as our failures, as we transition from our youthful years to midlife, and then on to the joys and struggles of growing old.

My focus is about change and the way the Creator explains it by putting on a tremendous show with spectacular colors of the leaves as they change from green to vibrant golds and reds. While the seasons shift from summer to fall, we can ponder this equinox shift into autumn and considered how it provides come ona window into the grace, the nature, and the divinity of God.   With it comes the concept of letting go—of surrender. This is not a new analogy, but it is important to reflect upon what changes we must make as our lives progress year after year. What do we need to let go of? What do we need to change as another year passes by? What did we learn? What did we create that will sustain us through the coming winter physically and as we age into the winter of our lives?
There will always be questions - accept that. Questions keep our minds busy and often distract us from our true purpose. Spiritual growth occurs best when we bring ourselves into alignment with God's plan for us. Autumn provides the space we need for reflection through prayer and meditation.

Just sitting quietly looking out a window at nature's glory can bring a true understanding of the grace and the beauty of how Spirit works in the physical reality we live in. As we gaze at the colorful display of leaves falling softly to the ground, we grasp (or gasp) at the grace that Life aligns with Itself through the magical dance we observe. It is all about movement and free falling.

Perhaps spending time in nature contains some of the answers that will bring us into alignment with God's plan for us. When we can observe nature without analysis, judgment, or labeling, we are developing a mindful practice that blesses us in myriad ways.

I know it will provide a peace that profoundly leads us to a place of second innocence or a beginner's mind. Then, like the leaves changing colors, we will change to the golden truth of our beingness ~ we are made in the image and likeness of God. Our soul will soar upward into spiritual understanding, and we will free fall into alignment with the divine plan for our lives.

Love and Blessings,
Rev. Rose