(photo by zachary jack marcus)As my birthday falls on the last day of July, the week prior to the 31st is a season of reflection for me. I notice things more - the passing of time, that which is vital to my life, and the sounds and rhythms of nature.
During that final week of July, things change. The light just before sunset. The sweet smell of harvest arrives. Cooler evenings. And the first few autumn leaves show up in red, orange, and yellow dress. Even though the ancient calendars tell us that the season of autumn begins around the 4th or 5th of August, our calendar insists we wait another 6 weeks to herald her arrival, despite the visible changes all around us.
Viewing changes in nature through the prism of our calendar causes a number of strange things to happen - we start bemoaning our imagined premature demise of summer, the ending of our warm days, and for some of us fortunate ones, the end of vacation and playtime. But more essentially, placing trust in this artificial authority erodes our ability to believe our own inner sense of things - that which we observe around us, that which we once knew.
Common sense is an endangered species now-a-days. We rely, not just on our calendars to tell us what our seasons are, the Weather Channel to tell us of coming climate changes, but we also place our confidence in what THEY say, from parenting, to romance, to spirituality, to most everything under the sun. Nearly dead, is our own inner knowledge of the basic cadences of life.
Perhaps if we spent less time paying homage to THEY, and more time waiting, listening, and acting out of that knowing place still gasping for air within us, we would discover the knowledge, wisdom, and peace of mind that so often eludes us.
1 comment:
I so agree.
*sigh*
Beautiful photo!
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