by Astara
Fall Equinox comes to visit again. On the eve of this seasonal change, learn from the wisdom of the trees and their great anticipated tossing off of the old for composting and renewal. In our yard it has already begun, leaves falling here and there as the wind helps out. I hear Dar Williams lyric playing in my head from the song The Beauty of the Rain.
“the beauty of the rain is how it falls, how it falls, how it falls.” – Dar Williams
How it falls, oh how it falls. The rain. Those leaves. Nature knows all about surrender. For many of us in the Northern Hemisphere, we are already feeling into the breezy fall weather. With slightly cooler days flanked by much cooler nights, the trees know what is coming and begin to shed their leaves. This inspired me to share my poem that emerged years ago in reverence to our tree teachers.
How the Trees Do It
by Astara
Leaves surrender at my feet
a blanket of yellow, orange, and crimson valentines,
each crack of my shoe against leaf
whispers of the delicious abandon
the branches, the trunk,
and the forest floor knows.
Even as a crunch echoes with each step,
this carpet of color and light softens sound.
Letting go is like this if we allow it,
with brilliant beauty from what remains.
Learning is like this if we are willing,
with each footfall a song of itself.
If there are hundreds of ways to kneel
and kiss the ground as Rumi says,
then let one of them be me
kneeling amidst the brittle brown and red,
lifting them up between my open hands
as they rain delicately over my head.
Is there something stirring in you? Surrender to it. The season is here to support you. Clear the closet, weed the garden, purge the basement. The busy clutter and fullness of old can be a lot like the fearful aspects of ego resisting necessary and already blossoming change. The ego attaches negative meaning to each opening and step forward in the process of authenticity — to protect you from loss, from joy, from success, from leaving the comforting familiar, however limiting and small.
It is okay to be afraid; it is natural and normal to want to hold on to what is comfortable (old and known) in favor of what is uncomfortable (new and unknown). And yet, even in the midst of this fear, from this moment forward what would happen if you followed your essence, heart, and deep ache for a soul-aligned life? To make room for the new, let go of old unused items, old limiting stories, as well as toxic thoughts, food, and friendships.
Nourish your soul with each thought, word, and deed. Surround yourself with friends and family that love and support you. It is okay to not know how yet — all you need to know is that it is necessary to follow what you are attracted to. The expression of your deep pull to life aligned with your essence will blossom in its right time, will be more beautiful beyond what you can fathom, and will be for your highest good and the highest good of all.
Commit to your inner knowing and surrender yourself to that loving force, presence, and energy that moves through you and all things. Follow your intuition and trust your heart. Know that any uncomfortable pain from within projected without is teaching you where you are in your own way and building resilience muscles to live your truth. The most uncomfortable place may be the most perfect place to rest awhile to love yourself to a new place. What you are attracted to is guiding you home. Surrender to it.
While you witness the world on fire, and the whole hell of A LOT that this year is, take time and find your own way to kneel and kiss the ground. Reverence for anything will do. Laughter is a highly recommended form of reverence and surrender. Breath is powerful. Tears work too. Singing may be my favorite. When we learn to surrender within, we have less need for the surrender invitation to come from the outside. What is it that is waiting to be let go of in your life? What dream have you yet to surrender to? Let the trees show you how to do it.
Surrender the training wheels of societal pressure and old limiting stories. Surrender the past. Surrender the pain. Surrender the conditioning. When you wake up in the morning tomorrow you have two choices: you can imitate the pressure of society or imitate the wisdom of the trees. You always have the full support of the Earth. The trees are your life coach showing you how to face the end of one season giving birth to the next.
Have a wonderful Fall!
