Watching the trees start to change colour and to lose their leaves. The changing season. A great symbol of life and a useful metaphor for the cycles that occur repeatedly throughout our lives.
In spring the new leaves bud and start to grow, mirroring the process of new ideas and creativity in us. We burst forth from our winter sluggishness, make plans for the warmer weather and get busy in our home and gardens. A new tax year, a new year of plans and activity.
In summer the nature reaches its full potential, busy with life. Reflecting when we maximise our lives, when that happens there’s flow and we operate at our peak just like the business of nature in the summer.
In autumn plants and tree leaves start to die and fall away. So it is for us when life has become too complicated, complex or busy, or we start to see things are not working for us and it too, is a time to let go. A good time to clear out things, un-useful habits, environments or beliefs or even relationships that do not nourish or support our lives. Maybe something simple like just clearing out the clutter. Have you noticed when this doesn’t happen we can feel stuck, unable to move on to the next stage?
Winter and the ground becomes bare, trees are leafless, dormant and resting. For us too, there are times when we need to be still and at rest. The benefits of allowing ourselves to experience winter can come from developing better self-listening skills, we give ourselves space to be and space for the new ideas to start to flow, and room for the new buds of spring in our lives. If we do not give ourselves time to stop we do not move into our budding springlike state that helps us be creative and harness our energy and passion.
This metaphor is useful in thinking about our work and lives. The key areas of relationships, important projects, finances, etc can all experience different seasons at different times.
What season is your career in? Has family life got a little chaotic and is it time to let go of some things (drop some leaves) to make space in your home life for new things to happen? Is it winter in our work life and are we allowing ourselves to listen, rest and notice? What is the most challenging area in your life at the moment and does that help you think of what might be useful right now?
Well it is autumn and will be winter very soon, I need some head space so I’m off outside to clear some leaves!!
