Autumn is the time of year when Nature urges us to release our hold on that which no longer serves us. Clinging to the old uses a lot of life-force energy and often prevents us from moving forward.
See how the trees simply drop the leaves after they have completed their time together?
Winter is coming and that is a time for rest and restoration. That can be more easily done when we aren’t dragging a bunch of decaying matter with us, be it beliefs, emotions, habits, or relationships.
What’s one thing you can release in order to make more space for your true self to emerge?
Me? I’m doing a closet clean out AND committing to taking the bag(s) of culled items to a donation center by the end of the month.
It doesn’t need to be complicated or arduous. Maybe start with that pile of paperwork cluttering your desk or the ubiquitous kitchen junk drawer. Your future self with thank you.
… and let go of everything that is ready to go. Autumn is the time of…
Today marks a turning point in which night and day are balanced.
In the northern hemisphere, summer turns to fall, and in the southern hemisphere, winter turns to spring.
Where I live, the days are getting shorter and the weather cooler. I love it! Sweater weather is coming.
Regardless of your relationship with this seasonal shift, it’s happening. No amount of bargaining will change the fact that the wheel of the year keeps on turning.
I find that the more aware and attuned I am to the seasons, the more harmony I experience in my life.
We can all benefit from aligning ourselves with the rhythms of Nature. What’s one small act you can easily do today that will create more balance in your world? Perhaps it’s curbing frivolously spending or taking a break from a busy workday.
I very much enjoyed this free breathwork meditation on Insight Timer. It’s only ten minutes long and applicable wherever you are on the planet.
Every step in the direction we wish to go contributes to our health and happiness. Something as simple and accessible as practicing equal breathing techniques can have a profound impact.
Even one mindful breath can help. Join me now. Bonus points for an audible sigh on the exhale. Aaaaaah.
Today marks a turning point in which night and day are balanced. In the northern hemisphere,…
Tomorrow is the summer solstice here in the U.S. It’s the longest day of the year and the first day of summer. For my fellow Cancerians, it’s our birth month, the time when the sun enters our zodiac sign, shining blessings upon us. 🦀 🎂
All this sunshine and the resulting heat can easily tip us out of balance if we don’t take care. For me, irritation is very close to the surface this time of year.
Especially when I see temperatures in the high 90s when it’s only June! 😖
Given the choice of suffering greatly while feeling wilted and like a volcano ready to erupt or taking action to alleviate the excess heat, I choose prevention.
I enjoy the cooling effects of sun tea made with fresh mint leaves. Making cucumber water is as simple as dropping a few slices in a jug and letting the flavor infuse the water and has the added bonus of feeling fancy.
I’m especially fond of a pranayama practice called sitali breath. It’s sometimes called “taco breathing” as you make a shape like a hard taco shell with the tongue. No worries if you can’t do that (I recall a 9th grade biology lesson that says some people are genetically incapable of doing so); there’s a modification.
If you find yourself getting overheated just thinking about stepping away from the air conditioner, this can really help. Add a cool, wet towel to the back of the neck if you’re very heat averse or tend to generate a lot of internal heat.
Tomorrow is the summer solstice here in the U.S. It’s the longest day of the year…
Here in the northern hemisphere, today is the shortest day of the year. Or the longest night, depending on your perspective.
This is a winter event that affects us all equally. The sun shines every one of us the same, regardless of what other holidays we may or may not celebrate.
Join me in lighting a candle to honor the darkness and to acknowledging that it too will pass. If you can carve out some time for rest, restoration, and reflection your efforts will be supported by the universal energies of the season and will help ease the transition as the days begin to lengthen.
I was lucky enough to get out into the sunshine to visit the trees and the babbling brook in my neighborhood. I can’t imagine any better medicine for a cold, winter day. I’m wishing you whatever medicine will best feed your soul and a joyful solstice wherever you may be.
Here in the northern hemisphere, today is the shortest day of the year. Or the longest…
OOPS! I didn’t publish this yesterday, December 21, which was actually the solstice. Oh well, close enough. 🙂
A significant turning point in the cycle of the year, today is the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. That means tonight is the longest night and that tomorrow night will be slightly shorter. The days will become increasingly longer.
It’s a great time of year to turn inward. Our western society does a tremendous job of compelling the exact opposite, but if you tune in to the rhythms of nature, you can sense the pause. The pause is where clarity arises. It’s my goal to use this time of the year to slow down and allow inner wisdom to guide me. Before I begin investing my time and energy in the new year, it really helps to have a grounded and embodied sense of where I actually want to go rather than just continuing on the same trajectory I’ve been following.
My plans for today include venturing out into the cold quiet of the winter woods to refresh my life-force energy and spending some time in community. It’s lovely to be with other folks who are doing the inner work of exploring and releasing the old patterns that are no longer beneficial. I’ll give myself some time to integrate the results before setting my intentions for the new year, at an online event you’re most welcome to attend.
Whatever you do today, or on the days surrounding the solstice, I wish you peace, clarity, and acceptance. This may not be your preferred season, but isn’t it beautiful in its own way, nonetheless? We haven’t yet had any snow to speak of here in Philadelphia, but I think this photo from my last adventure in the woods conveys the spirit of Pennsylvania in winter.
Seasons greetings, friends. Take good care of yourselves.
OOPS! I didn’t publish this yesterday, December 21, which was actually the solstice. Oh well, close…
I find it so fascinating that this home of ours, a hunk of rock spinning around a fiery ball in vast space, manages to predictably provide us with times of equal light and darkness twice per year.
Impressive, right?!
For those of us in the northern hemisphere, today is the autumn equinox. Hooray! Personally, I’m happy to say goodbye to heat and humidity. Equally as wonderful, we will soon have the best display of colorful leaves here in Pennsylvania. And then they fall to the earth to decay and eventually provide support for spring’s glorious eruption of green. Which is what is happening in the southern hemisphere, where they celebrate the spring equinox today.
This turning point of the seasons is an invitation to align with nature and bring more balance into our own lives. It could be something as simple as a breathing practice. Alternate nostril breathing brings our right and left sides (brain and body) into balance. “Square” breathing equalizes every inhale and exhale.
It’s also helpful to consider our current imbalances when choosing strategies. If I’m feeling anxious, slightly extending my exhales could help calm me down. A slight emphasis on the inhales could pick me up when energy is low. Knowing where you are relative to where you’d like to be can inform your decisions. Putting on another sweater isn’t going to help if you’re already too warm.
Today we experience equal lengths of day and night in the macrocosm. How can you take advantage of these cosmic energies to cultivate more balance in your microcosm? It could be time to release something that no longer serves yourself or the community or commit to something that has been twinkling in the back of your mind for some time. It could be as simple as removing some clutter or cleaning the windows so that you can think or see more clearly.
Chances are that you’re the only one who truly knows what action (or inaction!) will support your unique equilibrium. Take a few moments today to turn inward and inquire. “How does it get better than this?” is a great prompt if you want some help getting started.
If you have Reiki superpowers, turn on the juice during your contemplation and goal setting. It will help your thoughts and actions to align with flow of nature and your greatest good. If you don’t yet have Reiki superpowers, but would like to, learning is easy in fun. I’m teaching a beginners course in October.
I find it so fascinating that this home of ours, a hunk of rock spinning around…
Today is the winter solstice for those of us in the northern hemisphere. It’s commonly known as the shortest day, but to me the longest night seems a more fitting description.
A series of coincidences, AKA divine interventions, placed a friend and I in the woods at sunset and I was able to snap a pic of the final rays of light.
It was spectacular and magical to be in nature at such an auspicious time. But the real magic happened when I got home and turned inward. The universe is encouraging stillness, quiet, and contemplation. Oddly, our culture encourages the opposite, but I prefer to flow with the natural energy rather than fight it.
Today is also a turning point as tomorrow, and each day thereafter for the next six months, there will be a little more light than the day before. It signifies a time of hope for many as spring has always followed winter. In the meantime, let us embrace the cold, dark nights as best we can.
Luminous Heart Reiki & Massage 