Falling into Fall

The change of the season suddenly feels like I want to wrap up in a fleece blanket in front of a fire, eat soup, and sleep for days! This however is thwarting my grand plans to get busier and busier with all of my big schemes and dreams. Summer was all about moving it and shaking it, exploring, learning, the excitement of forward momentum. Now my energy has hit the brakes. Why is this change of season such a dramatic shift?

According to a Dr. of Chinese Medicine that I met last week in NY (she is a Portland OCOM graduate and former student of our Dr. Borten) the transition into fall is a time to slow down and digest the input we took in during our active summer time. This rest and digest period is aligned with the Earth element that is our return to center and balance. Fall is the time when we get grounded again, churn over all of the stimulus and movement that has occurred before moving into the winter where we then assimilate what we want to carry with us and plant the seeds to water in the spring time. I really loved this explanation and affirmation that my body was tuned into this natural cycle. In our society we seem compelled to constantly be striving and moving towards bigger, better, and bolder. We complete one project as we are already beginning another and another without a pause.

When I was in NY surrounded by that constant humming of doing, going, striving- it occurred to me how important it is to allow the time to pause and reflect on some of the big questions that will help me consciously create a life I want. Deepak Chopra was one of the speakers at the conference I attended. It seems that an hour presentation from him is just a drop of water in the ocean of what he wants to share.  He offered some useful questions to meditate on to guide us towards staying true to our life path, such as: “Who am I?”, “What do I want?”, “What is a peak experience to me?”, “What is my life’s purpose?”, “What kind of contribution do I want to make to society and to the world?”, What is a meaningful relationship to me?”, “How do I contribute to my relationships?”, “What are my unique skills and talents?”, “How do I use them to serve?”, “Who are my heroes/archetypes?”, “What is my story?”.  He said if you keep asking these questions the answers will flow. They will help us make choices that support our greatest happiness and potential.

Don’t be afraid to go into the silence and stillness of that pause. As Deepak reminded me- become comfortable with uncertainty because otherwise there is no room for creativity.  Feel free to join me in my intention for Fall, which is to take a little time to create some space to digest the information I have gathered so far and ask the questions that will keep me intentionally creating a life that is true to my purpose.
Heather Wade, Integrative Health Coach, LMT, Esthetician