The ancient Greeks had a God for the winds (they seem to have had a God for everything), that blew from the North, East, South and West. These Gods were known as the Anemoi. These related to the seasons and the God for the autumn winds was Eurus.
Eurus embodied the essence of the season in all its glory. So, what is the essence of autumn? Have you ever paused and considered this? Or to be more accurate what are the various essences that contribute to the season, because just like making a soup, there are many ingredients required.
Let’s start with the leaves on the trees. Don’t they look incredible, all those beautiful browns, reds, tans and beiges. There something so warming about their colours.
At home we have an open fire and autumn is when we get our next wood delivery, we get the chimney sweep around, and we stock up on kindle and matches. The first fire is quite a ceremony in our home, and once the fire begins and the home starts to warm so do we. There’s a comfort and it signals the time to get ready for the autumn days of winds, rain, darker nights. It’s all there to be embraced and invited in-it’s a part of our lived and something to be enjoyed, so implore you, please enjoy it.
A few days ago, I went for a walk to the nearby countryside, here in Kent, where four of the WOW co-founders live. It was raining, albeit lightly at that time. It was grey and a cool wind blew. Such was the weather that I had my seasonal walking boots and trousers on, a hat and a kagool.
I hadn’t long set off before I spotted a man walking twenty feet in front of me. He wore a tee shirt, shorts and had sandals on his feet. The contrast between what he and I wore struck me. I wondered if he wasn’t quite ready to let the summer go, whereas I had accepted the new season a couple of weeks earlier, and consciously so. It’s important for me to be in harmony with the seasons because when I am I feel the wellbeing of it.
I often wonder what is it in people that finds it hard to let go and yet letting go is a most natural state and process? This Autumn Meditation might help.
