Embracing Transformation: Navigating Life's Seasons with Grace and Resilience

"Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall." – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Fall is the beginning of the new year for some cultures around the world, which intuitively makes sense for many of us settling into back-to-school routines and experiencing abundant fall harvests. New beginnings often come with reflection, an opportunity to integrate all we have learned from the energy and connectedness of brighter days. We are dynamic beings, designed to transform through transitions. The transition into fall reminds us of the ever-changing nature of life. Constant transformation.

We see the outside world winding down as the days grow shorter and the leaves fall. Night comes sooner, offering us space to rest and be. Energy may peak as we productively seek closure, or it may begin to wane as we feel drawn to the sleepiness of dark nights. There is an invitation to explore what restores our soul. Is it a walk among changing leaves, coffee with a safe and encouraging friend, wrapping up in that cozy Costco blanket cradling the edge of the couch? Embracing a sacred calm and silence allows us to seek our roots, to get grounded in what is serving us and what is asking to be released and let go.

We have an internal rest and release system, the parasympathetic nervous system. It balances our fight or flight sympathetic nervous system and maintains key body functions such as digestion. A key part of the digestion process is elimination. We can only activate this system when the body feels safe and relaxed.

Some seasons of life are hard to make sense of, hard to release. There may be pain and grief when life asks us to let go of what we hold dearly to. That may even include sacrifice after a difficult diagnosis or the unexpected loss of a relationship or simply the idea of the outside world feeling less inviting and the nervousness of not being able to keep up with the demands of life. Letting go may usher in darkness but still, we get to practice letting go. We practice, knowing we are grounded and held by a creation that is designed to bring us from the barrenness of fall and winter back into spring again. It always comes.

What transitions are you in the middle of? How do you rest and restore in times of transition? How can you integrate the energy of summer into your body in fall? What do you need to feel nourished, safe and relaxed in body, mind, and spirit?

"Finally, she mused that human existence is as brief as the life of autumn grass, so what was there to fear from taking chances with your life?" — Mo Yan, Red Sorghum

Written by HartsSpace Provider Karin Lund