Posted on September 15, 2024

The seasons are changing, we are moving from summer. We're at the end of summer's heat and energy, transitioning into the steady pace of fall. This transition from summer to fall is my favorite. I love the slow down. I love the sudden shift. As a forest school teacher, I'm in tune with the rhythms of the seasons. I encourage more and more people to be present in nature, to let nature reset your body so that you can build an intuitive practice of listening to what your body needs.

So, what is my body saying this season? I had a busy summer. A busy summer isn't bad, and I really do encourage you to look more into the energies that each season brings. Look at the plants that grow in your area in the summer. Look at what life comes about in the summer. Really tune into nature to see what happens to Mother Earth in the summer, what happens to Mother Earth in the fall, what happens to Mother Earth in the winter, what happens to Mother Earth in the spring. When you see the movement of nature, it can provide a beautiful mirror to your own life.

My summer was busy, using the sun's energy to accomplish and get started on goals as well as continue the development goals. I kept asking myself, what do I want to build for future Black generations within progressive education? Within Montessori education? And now, as we move into fall, I am seeking balance, consistency, and a settling into the projects I'm doing and not taking on any new projects but rather finding a place to get grounded and invested with the work I am doing.

Fall: A Time for Introspection and Balance
As we transition into fall, it's time to slow down and take an introspective look at all your roles and responsibilities. This season invites us to seek balance in our lives. Here's how we can embrace this autumnal energy:

1. Reflect on Your Roles: Take time to consider all the hats you wear - parent, partner, professional, friend, community member. How do these roles serve you? How do they challenge you?
2. Assess Your Responsibilities: Look at your commitments. Are they aligned with your values and goals? Fall is a perfect time to reassess and maybe let go of what no longer serves you.
3. Find Balance: With the frenetic energy of summer behind us, fall asks us to find equilibrium. This might mean balancing work and rest, social time and solitude, giving and receiving.
4. Slow Down Intentionally: Resist the societal push to ramp up activities. Instead, intentionally create space in your schedule for reflection and rest.
5. Practice Self-Care: Spend more time nurturing your body. This could involve intentional oiling, praying, stretching, massages, taking naps, singing more, or practicing healthy self-talk. The goal is to make sure that your body feels cared for and loved.
6. Tune Out the Noise: It's hard to tune out the noise of Western society, especially as schools start and activities ramp up. But try to counter this by slowing down, finding balance, and preparing your body and spirit for the coming winter season.
7. Nourish Yourself: As the harvest comes in, think about how you can nourish yourself - both physically with seasonal foods, and emotionally with practices that feed your soul.
8. Cultivate Gratitude: Fall is a season of abundance. Take time to appreciate the fruits of your summer labors and the beauty of the changing world around you.

Remember, it's hard to tune out the noise of Western society and how we've set it up. When you look at how Western society flows within the school system, you have the summer break and then you ramp up in fall and continue through winter and spring. The ramping up in the fall is hard because it's counter to nature. We are supposed to be slowing down, and instead, we're ramping up with the start of school, having practices, signing up for all the extracurricular activities. We're just loading, loading, and loading, when we should be seeking balance and slowing down, having time to prepare the body and the spirit for the season of winter.

I encourage you again to be in your body. We have become a culture that is so cerebral. We stay too long within our minds. We look for information before we even check into our bodies and ask, "How does my body feel?" We will get consultants, we will pay doctors, we will do all the cerebral things before we just sit and say, "What is my body telling me? How do I feel?" We are not in our bodies, and that is the heart of this message.

As we move into autumn, it is the time to get in your bodies. It is the time to have embodiment practices so you can be grounded for winter. Winter is such a slow and dark time, and it can be a struggle for many because you don't have all the natural beauty that comes with fall, spring and summer and winter isn't that, and it's not supposed to be. It is a time to focus on your inner light and do your internal work. The beautiful thing about nature is that it is, what it is. You might wish it to be something else, but it remains what it is, and we can learn a lot from that for our own mental, spiritual, physical and emotional edification.

As always, it is my deepest desire and intention that you stay nourished, grounded, and that you feel loved.

Until next time.
— Ashley