October Winds - 2017

October bursts in with colored streamers, glorious sunshine and departs with molding fruit, flowers & broken pumpkins.  The wind tossed, cascading leaves are as delightful as cherry blossom snow in spring but with a melancholy twist. The rain is welcome but has reaped havoc earlier than usual on my garden this year.  I relish the chilly morning air that warms by afternoon.  We know autumn is upon us and for some that is relief, for others sadness as we move towards winter.  I see neighbors cutting wood and tucking plants into their cozy beds with blankets of freshly fallen leaves.

Earlier in the month we had Succot, a Jewish Holy Day that follows the Jewish New Year . For many this is a time of deep personal reflection. Jews around the globe built succahs, huts or temporary dwellings outside and eat and even sleep therein.  It’s fun and festive and at the same time mystically significant.  “This is demonstrated by the permeable roof, offering protection while still reminding us of the infinite cosmos of which we are a part. Our health, our sanity, our peace, indeed our very existence depends on a defined ordered finite realm of relative stability. In this "limited reality" we can carve out a meaningful life. But if we make too strong of a roof we will lose touch with our real nature as part of the infinite, connected and indeed one with the whole of creation”.  Being close to Nature gives us perspective about our lives.  We camp out or walk by the shore, visit a park or nature reserve.  Still others meditate or practice the yoga of cleaning out their gardens!

I love seeing squirrels store their nuts in the garden.  They remind me I am part of the instinctual cycles of all creatures. 

I appreciate the few tenacious plants that are surviving the cold nights and plentiful rains. It is only natural that we go inward to our homes and our hearts as many plants also hibernate to replenish as the nights get longer. Dazzling fires and candles bring us closer to the mysteries of the earths turning.