No matter where you live and what the weather outside looks like today, you probably can feel in your body that summer is ending. Just two days ago it was 90 degrees here in San Diego, thanks to the Santa Ana winds.
I’ve always loved this time of year, when the intensity of summer winds down and makes way for something quieter but just as profound. It’s such a noticeable shift: things change colors, plants are harvested and release their fruits and seeds.
And like clockwork, just as I start to look outside my office window and see golden and red leaves on the trees, I start to recognize the same shift in my clients.
It makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? We are animals, intrinsically connected to the solar and lunar cycles, to the seasons of our planet. Just like trees and plants and water moves through rhythms, so do we.
Think about your garden — there are certain times to plant, certain times to prune back, certain times to water deeply. Our gardens can remind us that growth is not cookie-cutter happening inch by inch every day, instead it happens in these fits and starts, guided by the seasons.
In fact I often remind my clients that whether they want it or not, their growth is timed to the seasons.
So what kind of growth can we focus on in the fall?
I always think of fall as turning inwards, slowing down, gathering energy, and getting organized. Perhaps it’s a time to “catch up” to any changes that we went through during the spring and summer. It’s a wonderful time to go into the “reboot” phase by reprogramming our nervous system. Whatever you do, spend time reflecting.
More than anything, what I love about fall is the intentional letting go. So many of us are consciously or unconsciously clinging to stories, people, identities, habits that no longer serve us. Fall is a wonderful time to let go. We can take guidance from the trees around us. When it’s time to let go of their leaves, the trees don’t cling to them long after the leaves die. The trees don’t fight the letting go process, or see it as failure or disappointment. Instead, they simply hold the leaves for as long as they need to grow — all spring and summer — and then let them go when the growth is finished.
So what are you ready to let go of? It might be a job, or an old grudge that is taking up space in your mind. It might be a financial fear or an unhealthy habit. It might be a friend or a city. Remember that everything served us at one point, and that we can appreciate and acknowledge that…and still let it go.
