It is the time of the year to connect to your true nature by taking your Spirit on a Nature Walkabout. Walking in your Winter Wonderland cultivates our more than human kinships. Alone time is good for your Soul. Find some glimmers. Glimmers are those micro moments in your day that make you feel joy, peace, or gratitude. Train yourself to be on the lookout for glimmers and more of these tiny moments will begin to appear.
Nature has made a clear transition into the Winter. You saw a big show of color, followed by a period of dryness, and then release, as the trees let go of their leaves. Every change that takes place in Nature also occurs within each of us. Nature always provides guidance. A Nature Walkabout takes as much time as you have. Nature is a powerful healer. Are you tuned in to its messages? Keep a record of what you’re feeling, seeing, hearing, and experiencing on your walkabout.
LET GO!
In addition to Nature’s invitation to harvest and to release leaves to fall in their colors back to Earth, there is the potential to participate in making future growth even healthier—by intentionally letting go of what it is no longer the season for and turning to the deep-down parts that will anchor and nourish the green growth of Spring. Winter invites you to the task.
It’s easy to think of leaves falling from the perspective of the host—the Tree. Trees hold onto their leaves, and then lose them every Fall, right? That’s what we’ve always been taught. And from one perspective, it’s true. But what if instead of losing leaves, the Trees simply let them go?
Losing implies sadness and grief, which are the emotions tied to the Fall season, the Metal element, and the leading organ systems—Lung and Large Intestine. However, letting go implies closure. Trees innately “know” that they will release their leaves every Autumn. They don’t use up extra Qi to hang on tightly, just as the leaves don’t ache to maintain their connection. Trees know their branches would become too heavy under the weight of Winter snow and that the leaves’ veins would fill with water and freeze, preventing food production coming Spring. They simply and gracefully cut off ties and give those leaves a little push. Sound familiar? Let go so you can truly be free. Don’t expend extra Qi holding onto something that no longer serves you.
TURN INWARD:
As leaves scatter across the ground and Trees are left bare, Nature gives us yet another lesson: turn inward. The process of Trees releasing their leaves is an act of survival. It’s that healthy put-yourself-first motto that many have a hard time following. As fallen leaves decompose, their nutrients help sustain plants and animals that either live in the soil or will grow in the Spring. By putting themselves first, Trees allow their leaves to stretch out and nourish the entire ecosystem.
Leaves are the food-producing parts of the Tree. While leafless Trees can no longer make food, they are still very much alive. Without food, they sit dormant and rest until new leaves can grow and unfurl in Spring. Take their lead. Do something just for you. And then rest—deeply rest—so that you can stretch your branches and begin your process of rebirth.
AFTER YOUR NATURE WALKABOUT, QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
How did you respond to your time in Nature? What are some of your observations – external or internal?
Did you discover anything about yourself today?
List some things you heard on the walk. How did it feel to listen in this way? What sound did you enjoy the most?
What in Nature were you most focused on? Did it quiet your mind?
Why or why not?
INSPIRATION:
What do you need to let go in Winter, to make space for your roots to grow and develop down in the dark places where you can’t even see their progress? Is that difficult for you? Can you let go of aboveground productivity and turn inward and root downward where all progress is unseen (but so important to the health of the plant)? Consider what you might release—or even cut off—in this season, to make room for new, deepening, good growth. How might Nature be calling to you—through this natural imagery of the seasonal shifts—to stay in those dark, unseen spaces for a while, to let yourself be tended and grow sturdier in the deep places of your being? Can you find the Glimmer in you?
“I hope there are days when the sun shines directly on you. When Mother Nature takes your hand and leads you to her most beautiful creations whispering, ‘you are one too.’ I hope there are days when your taste buds dance with delight, your mind is kind, and your body feels at home again. I hope there are days when life feels like a gift. And I hope today is one of those days. I really do.”
Donna Ashworth
Please share this blog with your walkabout friends.