Spiritual Practices for this Season

In this fall season, many of us are returning to work or school after a summer of relative freedom or at least a change in tempo.  The days are still warm here in Northern California, but the days are beginning to shorten.  Our summer gardens are peaking and beginning to decline as our fall and winter gardens are just getting started.  The animals born in the spring are nearly full grown.  This church season continues.  We often call it “Ordinary Time,” but this “ordinary” is not the word you might be thinking of.  It means “counted,” because it is a season whose number of days and weeks changes each year.  It need not feel ordinary.  In fact it is a season with extraordinary possibilities for faith-building.  These spiritual practices might help you ground yourself and connect with the divine.

Ground yourself in nature: Take a walk or just move to the outside.  Feel the crisp breeze. Notice the color changes around you, the tone of the light, the shift of the leaves, fall’s foliage replacing summer’s.

Seek balance: As we approach the fall equinox, when day and night have roughly the same number of hours, how might you find more balance, in work and play, rest and activity, flexibility and control.

Practice gratitude: Any tme of year is a good time to be grateful for the beauty around us, for the light within us, for the people around us.  Gratutude is healing, soothing, and a path to balance.