AUTUMN NEWSLETTER 2011

Those of you who know me well will be rejoicing for me that Autumn has arrived.

The long hot days of Summer are dwindling, the light is becoming softer, the air cooler and change is sweeping through our beautiful valley. I am always reminded of the slow movement of a great symphony.  If you Listen to the Allegretto from Beethoven’s 7th you’ll  feel the mood.

Besides the beauty of the season, Autumn presents an opportunity for  a certain mood of reflection and spiritual practice. 

BALANCING DARKNESS WITH LIGHT

On the Autumn equinox, day and night are of equal length. This could be a signal for us to balance light and  dark within us. It is a worthwhile experience to befriend our inner darkness  so that the steady  gestation needed for our  souls’ growth can occur. 

Here is one of my favourite zen stories about light and darkness;

Once when the Zen master Tokusan was still a student, he visited his teacher, Ryutan, just before sundown. They sat on the floor of Ryutan’s hut casually drinking tea and discussing Zen until deep into the night. At last, Ryutan said, “Maybe it’s about time you went home.” Tokusan bowed to his master and walked to the door. “It’s completely dark outside,” he said. Ryutan lit the lantern and said, “Why not take this?” Just as Tokusan was about to take the lamp from his teacher’s hands, Ryutan blew out the flame. Tokusan suddenly knew everything there was to know.

LETTING GO

As we watch  the falling leaves we are reminded that nature’s cycles are mirrored in our lives.
Autumn can be a time for letting go and releasing things that have been a burden.
All the religious traditions pay tribute to such acts of relinquishment.  Autumn (FALL) is the right time to practice getting out of the way and letting spirit take charge of our lives. Being able to let go, to give up, to renounce, to give generously – these capacities spring from the same source within us. When we practice generosity, we open to all of those liberating qualities simultaneously.   Autumn can be the perfect season to give generously of one’s  time and talents.

ACKNOWLEDGING IMPERMANENCE

Autumn reminds us of the impermanence of everything. We have experienced the budding of life in Spring and the flowering profusion of Summer.  Now the falling leaves remind us of the fleeting nature of all things.  One of my favourite writers is Rabbi Kushner.

He suggests that when we contemplate the changes in Autumn we grow more appreciative of all the beauties that surround us.  I recall reading  that ‘Death is the mother of Beauty’. What those words say to me is that we cherish the beauty of a sunrise, of a McGregor Autumn, of a relationship, of a child’s hug  precisely because those things will not be around forever and neither will we be around to enjoy them.

Autumn brings home to our consciousness death and the challenge to live every day to the fullest.

In Tibet, certain spiritual teachers used to turn their teacups upside down before they went to bed
each  night as a reminder that all life was impermanent. When they awoke each morning
they turned their teacups right side up again with the happy thought, ‘’I’m still here!’

This simple gesture is a wonderful reminder to celebrate every moment of the day.

May Autumn bring some of her many gifts to you

With love

Billy