September Transitions

September is a transition month - the last weeks of the sun-baked summer, and the beginning of autumn. September's element is earth, which grounds and gives strength. And I need grounding, because Autumn is a wild and energizing time, when seeds ripen, and the everything is at its peak of unruliness. 

Even though I am feeling the urge to draw inward, now is not the time to completely retreat. September is a time to be open, and to respond to whatever life brings me; I am looking under rocks and turning things upside down. I am sorting out the ideas that come to me, holding each up to the light to see if it’s a keeper, looking and listening for crazy wisdom. I am maintaining an unruly kind of discipline. I am celebrating each new day and the Truth it brings.

This is the season to awaken the wild woman within and break some rules! I ask the important questions and misbehave (with integrity). But I am happily aware that I will never have an orderly shelf-full of the Truth. Truth is a mystery- it shifts and twists out of my grasp, and hides in the shadows. I am comforted to know this, because it releases me from the need to have all the answers. My real work is to ask all the questions.

Agenda:

1. Journal query

2. Read "The Power of Less"

3. Beingness Routine

4. Pockets

1. Journal query: 

Autumn's question is “What is the crazy wisdom?” Brainstorm ways to express the crazy wisdom I am finding: How can I express it visually? How can I integrate it with my teaching? How can I share it with friends and family? How can I celebrate it?

My journal: The craziest thing I've discovered is the whole Nature Culture idea and the wild garden. I'm incorporating it into my daily practice, my artwork and writing, and into my playtime with the boys. I'd like to share it with the world!

2. Read "The Power of Less":

I recently bought this little book by Leo Babauta, who hosts the Zen Habits blog. I bought it because simplifying is a favorite topic of mine, one I long for and keep trying to perfect.

Part One is The Principles, which are:

1. Create focus by setting limitations.
2. Choose the essential- that which has the most impact.
3. Eliminate the non-essential.
4. Focus on one goal.
5. Create new habits - in small increments.

So today I'm starting with Chapter Two: The Art of Setting Limits. This covers things like sticking to a budget (which I stink at) and dong first things first (which I'm pretty good at). He asks, which areas of my life need limits? -obviously spending, and also sugar, clutter, and number of projects - because when I start too many projects I don't finish any of them. 

He suggests I choose one limit to set at a time, so this week I choose to limit my projects to three. The next steps is to discern which three - which are the most essential? I decided to focus on finishing my curtains, fun art play with my grandsons, and mending some toys that are taking up too much room in my sewing basket.

3. Beingness Routine:

Last month I set an intention to practice an afternoon Beingness routine with water, an energy snack, stretches or dancing, and 15-minutes of creative work on a fulfilling project, because making self-care and creativity a routine will help me to enjoy the present moment and gather afternoon energy and balance, at a time when I often feel exhausted and a little depressed. 

And - surprise! - this practice works. At around 3 p.m., when I begin to feel "itchy" and unsettled, I remember to drink my vitamin drink, eat a protein snack, and either stretch or take a walk, and it really carries me through the afternoon.

The one part that is still missing is a moment to focus on being the me within all the doing, so I want to add this mantra:

Being Me: Mindful, loving, and present.

4. Pockets:

It's Back-to-School time, and our oldest grandson will soon go back to Headstart. We will pick him up 4 days each week, at noon. It's really quite a big deal.

To celebrate the transition, we are using our pocket calendar - a hanging with 7 large embroidered pockets that my mom made for us, when our children were young. (The pockets have not been out since the summer solstice, yet they are so high in my grandson's mind that his first words on arriving each day are, "Grandma, pockets?")

This week we have filled the pockets with new cars and toys, to entertain while we wait to test negative.