Autumn reflections

  Leave the familiar for a while

Let your senses stretch out
Like a welcome season
Onto meadows shores and hills
Change rooms in your mind for a day
All the hemispheres in existence
Lie beside the equator of your heart
Greet Yourself
In your thousand other forms
As you mount the hidden tide
And travel
Back home
Into the great circle of the heart.

HAFIZ

"OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW IS A BRILLIANCE OF LEAVES SWIVELLING AND DANCING ROUND AND ROUND. THE SKY IS THE COLOUR OF MAPLE SYRUP. THERE IS A HINT OF BURGUNDY ETCHED ON EACH GOLDEN LEAF  YOUR HEART HAS BECOME A SYMPHONY OF AUTUMN, RUSTLING ALONG BREEZY AND HAPPY AS A WAYWARD KITE. CHILDREN'S LAUGHTER IN YOUR EAR AND WINDBLOWN PATCH OF EARTH ARRIVE IN YOUR COLOURFUL PLAYGROUND, AND SUDDENLY YOU ARE YOUNG AGAIN. STANDING ON A HILL OF LEAVES YOU RAISE YOUR ARMS AND DROP THE LEAFLETS THEN WATCH THEM TUMBLING DOWN BRINGING SHADES OF COCOA BROWN, PUMPKIN ORANGE, GOLDEN GATE RED AND MELLOW YELLOW  PUMPKIN GRINS AND BLUSHING APPLES SITTING ON A LINEN TABLECLOTH OF WHITE AND RED. JACK O'LANTERNS WILL SOON BE LIT AND COSTUME DRESS WILL BE IN FULL SWING. DIVE INTO AUTUMN SECRETS AND TALK TO NATURE IN YOUR QUIET AND SURE VOICE. TELL THE BUDDING PINE CONES ABOUT YOUR LOVE OF FRESH OCTOBER CALLS. ETCHED ON A LEAF I SEE A WORD.  IT SPELLS P E A C E. (Mystic Rose) Acknowledge and give thanks to all that moves—in and out of your heart. Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu (May all beings everywhere be happy and free,  and may our thoughts, words, and actions  contribute in some way  to that happiness and freedom for all.) Autumn is a time to prepare for winter in that we need to really take care of ourselves. Autumn is definitely a self-care time of year, what we do now can really set us up for winter. Wearing oneself out in autumn can result in low immunity for flu season. Getting into a healthy, perhaps more structured routine with good sleep patterns is important. I mentioned being out in nature and not only is this visually gorgeous but it also helps our body tune in to the season. We want to mimic what is going on in nature – releasing and restoring. We start to naturally crave the foods that are in season. The key is to work with the season rather than against. When the temperature drops the body scrambles to protect itself from heat loss. Nourishing foods are essential. Adjusting to seasonal eating means we make a shift from the raw and cold foods like salads to warming, gently cooked ones like soups and dals. We can really simplify our diet and think of food as something that will nurture us. Root vegetables, carrots, beets along with pumpkins (they are not just for Halloween!), and butternut squash are all wonderful this time of year.