And just like that... Late Summer ~ Autumn Magic

And just like that the heat and hustle and bustle subsided.  It seemed to change so suddenly, moving us well and truly into the bounty and beauty of late summer.  The long hot days and evenings, bare toes and jumper-less arms begin to fade.  The timeless haze gives way to more structure and order as patterns and routines move into place, ready to be embraced with the fading light and cooling crisper days.

It happens every year but each one comes anew.  Every year a different gift, a releasing, a realising; a shift in awareness, perspective and a change to the old nostalgia of times and days gone by.  Socks appear, jumpers are found and the fading light in the evenings can bring us indoors earlier with more time with books, candles, blankets.  At the end is a list of ideas to help get your inspiration flowing for this time of change.

Loss?

How is this transition time for you?  This time of year used to bring such sadness, a real sense of loss.  Loss of the light, the warmth and activity, loss of brighter colours, ease of movement and a spring in our step.  Missing connecting and playing with so many friends, old and new.  The possibility and hopefulness of summer with the wide open space of time, the extended playground of the outside world, doors and windows open, freedom and adventure on the horizon and people living out in the world.  Trying to hang onto the summer that bit longer, and hoping to make the most of those last days, at times, felt so challenging, with so much effort and fuelled with this sense of nostalgia and loss.  

Acceptance

And now, with experience and practice, there is a deeper acceptance, still deepening with each passing year and cycle, that it is time to come inwards, it is time to embrace the new season as we transition into late summer and into the autumn glow.  Perhaps the days can be enjoyed even more with less gripping and tethering, simply moving with the energy and possibility of continuing the things we love and appreciate within those shortening, cooler days, whilst aware of the slow release and a beckoning, a call from within.

The Call

What a gift and how beautiful this call can be.  How can we listen and honour this song, this vibration, this knowing instead or holding onto the past and wanting more of what is naturally subsiding?  

The softening, the slowing, the permission to create more order from the wonderful chaos of summer experiences and adventures.  Time to allow those moments that have been and that we have shared to settle, to bed-in and to integrate; giving us fuel and inner fire and sustenance for the time ahead.

And as the acceptance comes, and as the inner quiet allows greater listening, it is possible, perhaps, to hear the call of autumn. The opportunities, the abundance, the nurturing, the time well spent within those lessening daylight hours and even the gathering and use of the abundance all around us to prepare for the deepening into the months ahead.

Embracing and honouring

What will you be embracing and how will you be honouring this call home?  This call back slowly within your own self and your own physical space and home?  Perhaps you are decluttering and making way for new projects and ideas, both in the mind and material world?  Maybe you plan to make and preserve from the fruits and berries in the local vicinity?  Do you have favourite recipes such as soups or stews that warm your body, your kitchen and home when you prepare them?  Favourite films or books to take you on a different kind of adventure?   

The Essence of Autumn

What is the essence and quality of autumn, the deeper wisdom?

Contemplation .  The inner call and contemplation can give perspective and reflection.  When we take this time there can be an organic releasing and letting go that is echoed in the natural world around us.  What is no longer needed?  What no longer serves or supports who you are now, or who you are becoming?  Let this sensing of yourself guide your choices and feel your way into the unfolding, embracing newness, or the beckoning and sharpening clarity of you within your life and self.  Maybe you feel really centred and clear and ready for the season shift?  Then notice and celebrate this within your reflection and within yourself too.  Has this been a journey, a learning, has it been growing over time?

Change and transitions.  Recognising that change is fairly constant we can begin to embrace and befriend, instead of pushing or pulling against the inevitable.  How can we really allow and let go?  Maybe even celebrate the changes?  Preparations that allow a connection and physical involvement with the inward flow, being part of the change in ways that bring peace and creativity or contentment and joy.  Are there ways you can be more present, creating a sense of ceremony or ritual from the most beautifully simple moments and activities?  Paying attention more fully, with greater intention and connecting into a deeper awareness, an honouring, a reverence perhaps, that supports and carries us forward.  Punctuating and celebrating the slowing, the nurturing, the listening.  Pause in those moments… the pouring of tea, the running of a bath, lighting a candle or lacing up your warmer boots.

Harvest.  What experiences and moments stand out from the summer that can be the fruits and nourishment for your heart, mind and soul?  What are you grateful for in your own life and of yourself?  What have you overcome or navigated that you can be proud of? Has there been a new skill, a way of relating, setting boundaries, putting your needs as a higher priority or embracing life and more joy?  What have you achieved, accomplished, been or become?  What have you released and welcomed as a new or healthier way?   What are things about yourself that you can take a moment to really see, feel and notice?  The simpler the better to recognise your own true strength, beauty, resilience, capability and much much more.  Take a few minutes to write them down, bringing your full awareness to the awesomeness that is you in this moment now.

Magic!

We can’t talk of autumn without mentioning magic!  The absolutely unique and potent potential that exudes from the season in so many ways.  The vivid colours, the richness and variety of smells, the palpable light quality, the abundance, the enticing, the beckoning and the magical energy drawing closer and closer, holding and supporting us, surrounding and protecting us.  Feel into the magic, what does it offer for you?  How does this provide buoyancy, lightness with growing depth, rooting, softening and being?  Slow down and embrace yourself as the earth embraces you now.  You are held, you are ready!

Whether you feel joyous and excited and ready for this magic or whether you are still in denial, holding onto whatever threads and moments of summer that you can (yup, I’ve been there!) I wish you the most beautiful and nourishing time as we transition through this gateway of possibility and magic into greater connection and appreciation for ourselves, for a sense of home, inward and outward, and the huge gift of rest and renewal that is lighting our way within.

Some ideas shared for you to inspire your own list of yummy autumnal treasures…

~Snuggling into the cosier days and evenings with jumpers and layers

~Sunsets with the awesome colours and shapes as the clouds appear to paint an ever changing canvas of light

~A good book and a favourite blanket

~Socks!  Favourite warm fluffy socks, or slippers?!

~Star gazing in the evening as the light fades earlier

~The lush green returning after the dry browner baked earth

~The damp, mossy fragrance and enticing woodlands and trees as they come alive and call us back within their earthy embrace

~Baking, and eating our scrummy creations!

~Sunset swims if you are fortunate enough to live near to water or the sea

~Leaves in fiery hues falling to the ground, ready to be jumped in and to crunch under boots

~Warming foods and favourite smells wafting from the kitchen (maybe spices or sweet smells of fruits, or hearty savoury stews, pastas, soups)

~Meeting with a good friend or a nurturing conversation on the phone

~Escaping with a great film, series or book

~The magical sound of rain falling when we are snug inside, or on hoods and umbrellas

~The intoxicating smell of the rain on the dry land

~Time to be, to reflect…

Take a moment, if you wish, to really sense those things that you absolutely love about snuggling down into the autumnal flow.  The homely time, the resting and nurturing and preparing for the deeper rest to come.