It’s the calling card of an adored love of mine. My heart skips a beat as the images begin appearing. It’s always an image that gets me going. The pace picks up as my senses are alert, my skin tingles, my ears pick up the faint sound of rustling, I smell the wetness approaching and my eyes search the horizon in the soft muted light, as shiver runs down my spine, my excitement builds. Ahhhh, sigh my spidery senses are aroused. Autumn is here! Heralding change and Winters approach. WooHoo!

The Autumnal Equinox takes place approximately the 3rd week in September. It’s the time when night and day are equal and it symbolically represents balance and change. During this time rituals and traditional celebrations happen all over the world. Harvest feasts, the sharing of abundance from the past season with family and neighbors are full of blessings and gratitude. This abundance helps to create balance as we enter the long, dark winter months and begin reflecting on what is needed and not needed in our lives. When I feel abundant I can make my choices from the feelings of freedom and opportunity while changing and preparing for my new cycle. I think New Year Resolutions are so popular because of winters reflective nature.

I live in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range of Northern California where the accentuated seasonal changes keep me connected to the rhythms of natural world. When the light begins to fade and the temperatures drop there is urgency to shift in the air and I become the glorious reflection of a squirrel. I’m busy storing wood, outdoor furniture, hoses and toys. Preparations are made as poles are strategically placed around my home to identify anything that will disappear under a blanket of snow and be forgotten becoming a health hazard. I’m busily replacing summer gear for winter gear and preparing my car to bivouac in if necessary. It’s an all out push to switch gears and get it all done in time for winter.

Summer time when the living is easy has slipped from my mind, completely. I’m now occupied with how long should I hold out before I put my studded snow tires on or get the snow-thrower serviced? And my body rejects cold food craving warm food and drink. I hold my hot morning eye opener with both hands, sometimes positioning it close to my chest to warm me quicker. I actually feel like cooking this time of year, which is a sure change for me.

And this time of year I fall hard for the abundance of sensory input that abounds with Autumn’s bounty of change. The colors of the pine needles going from green to rust, the grasses, the leaves melding into brown, reds, yellows from the muted light excite my eyes and take my breathe away. The wind perks up my ears as the sounds increase with woo whooo as it flows past the house, shutters clacking, and wind chimes are faintly speeding up their silver sounds. The end of my nose is cool to the touch as a daily occurrence, now.

It all shouts, Warning, Warning a change is a come’n soon and it’s OK, because it’s all a part of the cycle. Autumn is a time that reminds me visually of all the abundant brilliance that change offers in the natural world and in myself as I weave my way through my life. I like the visual reminders of Autumn to stay fully in my practice of pausing in the moment to enjoy the moment and get ready to shift. Pay attention, that’s always good advice. Change can be beautiful. Oh, Winter is just around the bend, hehehehehe 
Blessings to all, In Joy Candace Cable

“Each second you can be reborn. Each second there can be a new beginning. It’s a choice. It is your choice.” - Clearwater

Support Candace at Turning Point Tahoe

Copyright 2010 Candace Cable