Sowing Seeds

03 November 2019


I am thankful this week is coming to and end.  I am not really a fan of Halloween, as a child it wasn't a big event as it is now, but people dressed up and had parties, I found it all rather terrifying, now, as an adult I don't feel a connection to it all. I know that so many do and have a great time dressing up and maybe also making mischief, it is really not for me.

We are now halfway between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice a time some call Samhain (pronounced sow-ein), a halfway point of the dark days, a halfway point of our resting and recharging that I talked about recently.  We had a small Samhain celebration this week.

We can really see the visible signs that the earth is slowing down, the leaves are providing us with their stunning visual palate turning the most beautiful colours and falling from the trees.  I love to watch the leaves as they make their descent, have you noticed that each tree's leaves have a different way of making their to the ground?  Have a look when you are next out and about amongst the trees.  They and other plants are nearing the start of their period of dormancy.

As we, in the Northern Hemisphere, continue to move further away from the sun our temperatures will continue to fall, bringing with it the frosts, that some might have already had, and later snow, some parts have already had some of this too.  These colder temperatures bring with it the death and decay in the plant world an important part of the cycle of their life.

Whilst the earth is resting and recharging we can reflect on all that it has provided for us over the past year.  We give thanks, for the rain, replenishing the earth and sustaining life.  I know for some parts of the world rain is in short supply and in other parts they are flooding with so much rain.  We must learn to adapt our behaviour and how we manage our resources to be more resilient to the changes in the weather so that we are ready for droughts or flooding.  We give thanks for the abundant harvest from the earth, the food and medicine it provided to sustain our lives.  When we stop and think for a moment about all the food that we eat it has all been provided by our beautiful planet, it is so amazing.  We give thanks for the air that we breath sustaining our lives, allowing us to speak and sing.  This is another resource, like water, which we cannot live without and which we must adapt our behaviour.  I am so lucky to live somewhere with really good air quality the air tastes horrible to me in built up urban areas, places that people are living and moving around in all the time.

While the earth rests we too should use this time to rest, giving us a chance to renew and replenish our energies.  We can use this time to think of new plans and new beginnings, for sowing the seeds of our future in our minds and storing it until the time of the light and warmth returning.  A seed of a something you want to do, to be, to learn or adventures you want have.  We are not going to use this time to set them in motion but to incubate them and let them start to take some shape.

We can also use this time to reflect or start to clear our minds of our fears, troubles or insecurities those thoughts that we go over in our minds.  It is a good time to start the process of letting go of them, perhaps by writing them down or drawing them, whatever way works best for you.  If you have access to a fire, perhaps in your house keeping you all warm, you could burn them as a way of helping you to release.

For Inner Tranquility
Quiet I bear within me
I bear within myself
Forces to make me strong
Now will I be imbued
With their glowing warmth
Now will I fill myself
With my own will's resolve
And I will feel the quiet
Pouring through all my being
When, by my steadfast striving
I become strong
To find within myself
The source of strength
The strength of inner quiet
Rudolph Steiner

Our strength, our inner strength is what will carry us through this period of dark, dormancy and rest. It will help us to release our fears, we have started that journey bringing them into focus and recording them, maybe you have burnt them in the fire, now we need to make peace with them to help us move on.

Our inner strength will guide us to a seed of a new beginning, one that we will take within us and allow it to sit there quietly, as a seed does in the earth awaiting germination and development.  When we are nearing the end of this important time of rest and recharging, allow this seed to come into focus in your mind ready for you to take forward into the Spring, the light and the earth warming once again.

18 comments:

  1. Thank you for such a beautiful post and words that resonate - I should heed your words - I should be resting and recharging but life at our house at the moment is far from this and I find I am having to go at some speed to fit everything in. This makes me wonder where I am going seriously wrong - my own thoughts are that I often get dragged into everyone else's agendas that I have no time for my own. I believed leaving work might resolve this for me but it has turned out not to be the case. I will keep coming back to this post to remind myself to slow down a bit.

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    1. Thank you so much. I hope you manage to find some time to rest, however short the amount of time it all adds up.

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  2. I'm not big on Halloween either, it wasn't celebrated when I was a child, though had developed into being by the time my kids were young so we always took them out trick or treating. I don't decorate at all now there's no little ones in the house. I've never really thought about resting whilst the earth rests, to be honest I find the dark winter months a struggle so I tend to wish them away and I'm always glad when spring comes round again.

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    1. I am sorry to hear that you find the dark winter months a struggle. It is 12 weeks to the Winter Solstice after which the days start getting longer again, I know that this can feel like a really long time when the days are getting shorter. I hope you can find a way through without too much of a struggle this year.

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  3. I don't dress up and party, but do enjoy noticing the Turning of the Wheel of the Year. On which, Samhain is a point.

    A lovely post... In no need of comment. Other than to thank you for gathering your thoughts, and sharing them here, with us.

    Gentle hugs, going into this Time of Hibernation...
    😊😊😊

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  4. I love this time of year, there's still so much colour, but you have to look for it, and thinking about things like that help me get through the dark "walking through treacle" days. Instead of trying to fight the dark and feel energised when I just am not, I use the time to plan, quilt, eat delicious food and be glad of the little things. Thank you for your gorgeous words.

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    1. Thank you! Being glad of the little things - I love that -it is so important at this time of year.

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  5. We celebrate the turning of the wheel, Samhain and the acceptance of the change of seasons. Our village is full of children and they all dress up - I love the joy of the 'danger' of the darkness and dressing up and celebrating pagan thoughts - the evening (for us) is fun watching small folk turned in to monsters and scary things and witnessing their enjoyment - a refreshing change from being attached to their phones or games - beautiful post, very timely and beautifully written.

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    1. How wonderful. Acceptance, yes that is what it is all about, particularly at this time of year when energy levels are lower.

      Yes you are right that it is better to see small folk out and about having fun rather than inside online.

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  6. I'm not a fan of Halloween either, but I do adore fall and winter the most! I'm so ready for cozy nights and lots of knitting and staying inside.

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    1. Glad to hear it is not just me that does not like Halloween. Cosy nights are great aren't they and lots of knitting time!

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  7. Beautiful and calming words. I love the Autumn -straight through Christmas. It’s my very favourite time of year. I love the darkening days and the crisp air. All the fuss at Halloween isn’t my thing either but I do love pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns.

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    1. Thank you! It is my favourite time too, I love all the colours, the celebrations we have with our friends to mark some of the festivals in these months and the darkening days.

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  8. What a beautiful inspiring post. You and me both re Halloween!xxx

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    1. Thank you so much. I am always glad to hear that others feel the same as me about Halloween, it is so widely 'celebrated' that it can feel like you are not p.c. to declare that you don't enjoy it.

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  9. What a beautiful, thoughtful post, and fabulous comments too.
    My head is too full of flu to add anything to the discussion, so I shall just say "thank you". xxx

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    1. I am sorry to hear you are not well Jayne, an enforced hibernation. Thank you for you kind words and I hope that you are able to rest and returned to full health soon.

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