As a child, my favorite time of year was back to school! I loved summertime but by the beginning of August, I would be missing my friends and wishing for school to start up again. It wasn’t until years later that I realized Back to School time, the months of August and September here in the US, is really nature’s decrescendo.
Decrescendo is a musical term which means to gradually reduce in volume, get quieter or become softer, and that is exactly what nature is starting to do.
Back to School time, with its retail sales of clothing and backpacks, makes us think this is a time of growth, when it’s really a time of heeding our inner voice, acknowledging the blessings received this year, and refocusing our priorities towards the things that matter most.
My ancestors honored the passing of the seasons by following an astronomical calendar called, the Wheel of The Year. According to the Wheel of the Year, the harvest season begins around August 1st. Yes! Harvest starts in the height of summer! This is the time of organically grown peaches, cherries, grapes and grains. Just think of all the farmers markets teeming with fresh fruits, vegetables and homemade bread!
I’d like to share with you a three–part visualization practice I use to acknowledge my own personal harvest during the time of nature’s decrescendo. It can be done as a whole or broken into segments for each portion of your personal harvest over the months of August, September and October.
Reflect, Revive and Release Visualization
Close your eyes and imagine yourself as a tree. In your mind’s eye, see your roots stretching down deeply and firmly into the ground as you stretch your arms out to form branches. Really, stretch your arms right down to your fingertips. Imagine your branches are filled with leaves. These leaves represent your intentions, plans and dreams for this year.
- Reflect: Think back to the beginning of the year. What were you excited about doing right after the new year? What big plans did you have? Did you have a word or phrase for the year? Remember, how happy you felt when all of these gorgeous green leaves started opening. What has grown for you? What magic have you created in your life? What has your personal harvest produced this year? Take a moment to give thanks for these blessings.
- Revive: Stretch your arms up again, stretch out your fingers and wiggle your fingertips. As you do, you notice some of your leaves are starting to turn yellow. You realize that while some intentions have thrived, others have had to take a back seat. You haven’t given up on them. Pause a moment to acknowledge that they haven’t been your top priorities. Is there anything you really still want to do? Is there something you can finish up in the next six to eight weeks? Think about it. What comes to mind? This is a seed from the voice of your heart that wants to grow. Move this to the top of your list and get going!
- Release: Stretch your arms out again as high and wide as you can. Wiggle your fingertips again. As you wiggle your fingertips, you notice some of your leaves are brown and fragile. These are the intentions that you know won’t make it this year. You just haven’t had enough resources to support them. This may be hard to face. Take a moment and send all of your love to these intentions. Forgive yourself for not achieving everything you set out to do this year! Stretch out your fingers again and wiggle both of your hands. Let these brown leaves, these intentions you loved but weren’t ready for, float gently to the ground. Once there, they will be composted and recycled into fuel for your roots. Perhaps they may come to life next year.
Slowly lower your arms to your lap and bring your attention back to the room. When you are ready, open your eyes.
What does your decrescendo look like? If you have a journal, jot down some notes of how you plan to redirect your energy during this time. Is it cutting back on hours at the office to have a better quality of life at home? Is it focusing on one project that’s really special to you? Is it dropping social media for a while so your mind is free to give that last encouraging breath of life into something you know you can do without being overwhelmed? Could it be that you’ve realized you’ve done all you can right now and need a break?
Nature’s decrescendo teaches us many valuable things. It’s difficult to decrescendo. Decrescendo requires awareness, self-control and focus. It’s so much easier to get loud, do more and sing at the top of our lungs, than it is to sing quietly, find the voice of our heart, make decisions as to what is most important to us and consciously choose our next steps.
The key is to realize that nature’s decrescendo is a gift. It gives us the space to say goodbye to things that are meant to bloom later in our lives, allows us to refocus our energy toward gratitude for all that has come to pass, and brings forth the realization that wherever we are in life the choice to follow the voice of our heart is ours alone and we are always surrounded by an abundant harvest of blessings.
