RELEASE

As I write this, our geographic area in Colorado is in the middle of it's first winter storm watch/warning of the season. A beautiful, colorful, balmy fall day yesterday turned into clouds, cold winds and rain today-- which have turned into snow. Currently, it's 32 degrees outside and the temperature is dropping. 6-10 inches of snow is expected by tomorrow night. The high day after tomorrow will be 31 degrees!

Cycles of change can often come and move faster than we are willing to let them. This year is no exception for me. It seemed spring, summer and early fall have all passed in just a few meager weeks. The river of time seems to be whizzing past with the current carrying the rafter (me) at lightening speed! I found myself wholeheartedly resisting the change in temperature and weather today that will surely put an end to my garden and the beautiful fall colors, turning everything into a dead, dry, cold landscape.

Fall is the season when all of nature sheds what is not needed for the winter months ahead. Leaves turn and fall from trees, produce is harvested off vines and that which is not needed is decomposed and returns to the earth to be future nourishment for the seeds of the next cycle of growth. All of nature seems to strip down to the bare essentials, powers down, slows down. There is no resistance, but a flow from one season to the next-- even if it is abrupt.

Why is it we humans, in our self- importance, think we are any different from our natural world? How is it that we have cut ourselves off or away from our own cycles so we cannot recognize the health of loss and transition? We even have our moon in the night sky to remind us that for a couple of days in the month, it whittles itself down to nothing, only to wax again to complete fullness.

As we look at cycles of change, the same thing happens in any cycle of transition: certain things must be released in order for space to be cleared and opened for new creation, abundance and growth. Many times, this clearing may come in the form of circumstances or perceived losses that we feel inappropriate, uncomfortable or downright heartbreaking. However, in the perfection of our existence on Earth, we have living examples and metaphors around us to serve as reminders of our own perfection in cycles of birth, growth, death and transformation to new life.

To ease through transitions more gracefully it's often a wise move to receive the care of a support group, a trusted coach, body worker, healer or other professional who can lighten the load and provide perspective and insight. Then, what once may have been painful and confusing can become a source of wisdom and experience...even a valued reference point on a compass in the rapidly shifting and changing river of these remarkable times.