The rains have already begun (hallelujah!), Canadian geese are on the move south, the leaves are turning and beginning to drop, and night temperatures are cooler. Everything in nature is paring down, and moving energy to the roots and into the earth.
Mark the Start of Autumn:
1. Journal queries
2. Read "The Sweet Spot"
3. Sustainable straw collecting
4. Make a straw doll
5. Fall cleaning and gardening
1. Journal queries:
The autumn equinox is the second balancing point in the year; in the fall we might gently shift our attention from the physical side of life to the spiritual and mental, to indoor projects and thoughtful pursuits. As the nights lengthen, we have more dark time available, to be alone and to think; to become clear about our intentions; to nurture inner seeds that may not sprout until spring.
The autumn equinox is the second balancing point in the year; in the fall we might gently shift our attention from the physical side of life to the spiritual and mental, to indoor projects and thoughtful pursuits. As the nights lengthen, we have more dark time available, to be alone and to think; to become clear about our intentions; to nurture inner seeds that may not sprout until spring.
This morning I take time to center, and consider the balance in my life.
How can I balance my personal needs with my commitments to the outside world?
How do I balance my various priorities so they get the appropriate attention?
Think also of the balance in the world; meditate upon what this half of the year will bring, dark and light, and how best I can take right action in the world.
2. Read "The Sweet Spot":
I'm reading this book by Christine Carter (2015), about "How to Find Your Groove". The thesis is that when we hit from our sweet spot we have optimum power and the greatest ease.
Chapter 4 is Cracking the Habit Code, a "habit-crafting intensive." I've decided to work on the basic exercise plan I want to set in motion - some simple stretches and abs, a better than nothing daily routine that might build into something better.
I've drafted a detailed routine I want to build, with triggers and a built-in inherent reward. I'm starting really, really small - I just move my chair and do a rag doll stretch every day, and more if I can. The goal is to create a habit that doesn't depend on willpower, doing something so small that the habit begins to initiated and the groove is formed.
Tip #5 is play offense - think about the obstacles. The main one for me is that I just skip it: I say, I don't have time for that today, I delete it from my schedule, and don't cue up the video or move the chair. The only way to combat my own lack of discipline is to make it super easy and never delete it from my schedule, even when away from home. I'm working on a plan for how to make it easy to exercise even on the train.
Tip #6 is identify my triggers, something that happens every day. I'm using an already built-in cue and habit - the dawn duck alarm, which triggers moving my chair and cuing up the video, before I get up, take my meds, let the ducks out and greet the morning. When I wander back to my office, the exercise chair is waiting for me.
Tip #7 is designate an intrinsic reward, something that will release dopamine. I've been struggling with this one, because exercise often makes me feel worse - I am easily exhausted and my tendons are easily stressed out. I do enjoy the feeling of returning strength and flexibility, but that is probably too subtle to release dopamine. She suggests that I create an immediate reward (like maybe I pop a tiny candy in my mouth after every time I exercise? or a star chart?)
Tip #8 is measure your progress. Measurement drives awareness of behavior, so I will begin to track my habit on Strides again.
3. Sustainable Straw Collecting:
We all have ancestors who were gatherers, who collected from nature to fill their family's larder. These were people who knew the best place to collect nuts, berries, and grains; knew how to leave enough to ensure a new harvest in the future; and knew how to show gratitude and thanksgiving.
Somewhere along the way my ancestors lost the wisdom of how to collect wisely and began to take more than they needed, and lay waste to the environment. I felt a need to heal from this ancestral history, and so I designed my Nature-culture process for collecting - a thoughtful way to gather food and materials that is sustainable and honorable.
To be clear, I used to routinely collect decorative wheat from a craft store, wrapped in cellophane - not very sustainable or honorable. Now I gather it sometimes from my garden and sometimes from nature. Here are the steps:
1. Observe - Keep your eyes open whenever you go outside to really see what nature has to offer. Part of observation is deep examination, drawing or meditating on the subject to get to know it better.
3. Collect sustainably - Only take a portion; leave some for the animals and birds and some to fall to the ground to reseed the area.
4. Give thanks - Say a little prayer or thank-you to the Earth and the Creator for providing.
4. Make a straw doll:
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2017 straw doll |
The custom in Europe was to make a straw figure out of the last sheaf of wheat that was harvested, so the spirit of the grain had a place to live through the winter. Then it was planted again in the spring.
I usually make a simple figure with a few pieces of straw and scraps of fabric.

Supplies: Straw, carpet thread, scissors, water, cloth scraps
1. Collect a handful of grain, and cut to 6-1/2-inches, leaving some of the grain heads longer.
Tie them together just below the grain heads with carpet thread.


2. Soak a couple of shiny pieces of straw in hot water for about 15 minutes, and flatten them out with your fingers.

Wrap the flat pieces around the head, and tie at the neck with carpet thread.

3. Tie a few short pieces together at both ends, trim them, and insert them under the head for the arms.
Tie them in place, wrapping thread in a X across the chest.
5. Finally, add a few scraps of bright cloth for a vest or skirt.
5. Fall cleaning and gardening:
Fall cleaning has an entirely different feel and focus than spring cleaning. In the fall we finish up, pack away, and "batten the hatches" -- we put away all the outdoor stuff, air out the sweaters, and prepare for winter.
Fall cleaning has an entirely different feel and focus than spring cleaning. In the fall we finish up, pack away, and "batten the hatches" -- we put away all the outdoor stuff, air out the sweaters, and prepare for winter.
This year, our outdoor spaces are still in upheaval, with our new shed still in pieces, and a train trip starting mid-week. But we have a plan! This next few days I will start my fall cleaning in the bedrooms and driveway. I plan to:
- Work on building a new metal shed.
- Create order on all my office surfaces - sort papers and fabric.
- Pack exceptionally well for a long train trip!
- Leave the house clean and tidy for the house sitter.
- Cut back flowers that are done (but leave roots to rot in the ground) to give the garden some tidiness.
- Loosen soil in backyard beds, plant faves and add leaves.
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