The Spiritual Lessons of Fall
One September many years ago, I attended a lecture that changed my life.
The topic was “Seasons of the Soul,” and the lecturer explained how humans, just like nature, cycle through seasons.
We experience seasons of growth, seasons of transformation, and seasons of loss.
At the time, I had just finished college, gone through a bad breakup, and moved back to Colorado from Philadelphia. To say that it was a season of loss and change was an understatement.
However, hearing about this for the first time sent a wave of chills over me.
I had an immediate resonance with the idea and it brought me so much comfort, as it has continued to do in the years since.
Years later, when I began working as a therapist, I saw first hand how many people have forgotten this idea that life happens in seasons…
I saw how much people suffered because they couldn’t let go, whether it meant letting go of a relationship, identity, or old habits that were literally killing them.
I saw the tendency to compare to others who make their life seem like summer all year round.
And most devastatingly, I saw how some people experienced internal Winters in the deepest, darkest way possible, and forgot that the sun would ever shine again.
Our society has evolved in such a way that the more technology has advanced, the more we’ve expected ourselves to behave like machines; perfectly achieving, producing, and hustling day in and day out.
But we are not machines; we are pieces of nature subject to seasons, whether we like it or not.
It’s been almost 15 years since I attended that lecture on Seasons of the Soul, and ever since I have deepened into the study of the spiritual lessons of nature, implementing these lessons in my own life and teaching others how to do the same.
So, whether the idea is new to you or not, today I want to share a few of the most poignant spiritual lessons that the Fall season has to teach us.
Lesson #1: Celebrate Your Harvest
Fall is the Season of the Harvest…
It’s a time where we celebrate all that we’ve nurtured, grown, and accomplished over the last year.
It’s a time to appreciate and recognize the hard work we’ve put in.
And it’s the time to relish in the abundance of what has been produced this season.
The Harvest Season is the time to look back and celebrate all of the blessings in your life. It’s a time to appreciate everything that has come your way, everything you’ve worked for, and everything you’ve earned.
While the Harvest used to be a very literal process, Fall is also the time of the Emotional Harvest.
Emotional Harvesting is the process of appreciating all of the blessings in our lives, recognizing what we’ve created, and letting ourselves feel the pain or disappointment of that which did not come about.
Sometimes, we work so hard for something, pouring ourselves into seeing it through and for whatever reason it just doesn’t manifest in the season of life that we’d like it to.
So many people can get tripped up during these periods of life (myself included) and it can be easy to let the disappointment get you down.
But what I’ve found is that the more we ignore the uncomfortable feelings and the more we make perceived “failures” mean something about us as a person, the more likely we are to experience a difficult Winter season. (And this is actually where depression can begin for a lot of people.)
The Harvest is a time to feel all of your feelings, to hold the good and the bad, the easy and the hard.
It’s a time to recognize and harness the strength and resilience that you’ve cultivated, especially through the difficult times that didn’t turn out the way you would have wanted.
And, as we’ll talk more about in a second, it’s a time to let go of your attachment to the outcome, which I know is easier said than done.
But ultimately what I’d like you to remember about the Harvest is this:
Whatever this year has brought you, you get to decide what it’s going to mean to you. You get to choose how you’re going to look at the situation and ultimately how you’re going to let it affect you moving forward.
“You are in control of your perspective! Very few people understand that. Understanding this fundamental truth won’t just change the way you look at grief or pain or loss, but learning to adjust and control your perspective is key to a happier, more centered life regardless of the season you’re in.”
So ask yourself, what can you harvest from this past season?
Where have you shown strength, resilience, grit, and determination? How have you grown as a person? How can you be proud of yourself?
And where there was grief, loss, or disappointment, how can you hold it, honor it, and incorporate it moving forward?
Lesson #2: Let Things Change
Fall is nothing if not a visible reminder of change.
Sometimes change is beautiful and exciting, sometimes it’s challenging and difficult, and sometimes it’s all of those things at once.
Autumn is a season to recognize all the kinds of change in your life: The welcome and unwelcome, the ones you wish hadn’t happened and the ones you’re thankful that did, the changes you didn’t see coming and the ones you’ve been praying for.
Change is difficult for most people, but what separates those who get overwhelmed by it from those who handle it with more grace and ease is being rooted and connected to something bigger.
When we aren’t centered within ourselves, within a community, or within a spiritual belief system that helps us make sense of all the crazy in our lives, it is very easy to be taken out by change.
Consider this: Leaves change colors and fall away, but the tree itself remains standing.
While it’s one thing to focus on the “leaves” in your life (i.e. all the situations and circumstances that are subject to change), it’s easy to forget about your tree, your foundation.
What does your tree look like? Is it strong and steady? Are the roots firmly planted? Is it consistently nourished and supported?
Or is your tree dry, withered, and longing for better days?
When you watch the trees change this Fall, notice how they don’t fight their leaves changing nor do they compare their rate or process of change with the trees around them.
The tree knows that it’s the cycle of things and it stays strong and steady throughout it all. It has a deep, inherent trust in the cycle of things and knows it will bloom again.
It’s one thing to face change that you wanted or asked for, but facing unwelcome change often elicits a different response; one of resistance, pushback, denial, anger, or grief.
All of those feelings are valid. So, by all means, honor those emotions, but when you’re ready, allow space for something new to grow.
Accept that change (and often painful change) is a part of life and you can decide whether you’re going to make the best of it or fight it every step of the way.
Lesson #3: Learn to Let Go
If I had to boil down the essence of Fall into two words it would be these: Let go.
Let go of what no longer serves you. Let go of what was. Let go of whatever is holding you back.
Just let go.
As humans we have this tendency to want to cling so desperately to what was, especially if it it was working for us at one point.
But very few things in life are perennial, and even those that are still experience change.
We would eliminate so much suffering, or at least work through it faster, if we could let go of the things that belong in the past.
And let me just say I’m not talking about things like the grief of losing a loved one, a heartbreaking diagnosis, etc.
I’m talking about the more common things that we hold on to past their expiration date, things like habits, old relationships, unhelpful beliefs, toxic jobs, etc.
We cling to so many of these things either because we desperately (and sometimes delusionally) hope they’ll go back to the way they were or because we’re too afraid to experience life without them.
But the hard truth is, when we cling to what was, we don’t ever get to see what could be.
In order to make room for the new things, people, opportunities, and even beliefs that are meant to be in your world, you have to let go of what was.
So let go. Let go and allow for possibilities. Let go and trust. Let go and decide to commit yourself to the things you deserve moving forward.
Sidenote: When I look back at nearly every loss, disappointment, mistake, or failure in my own life, I see that it cleared the way for something better down the line. Sometimes it didn’t manifest until years later, but I can always see how letting go of one thing made room for something better.
Lesson #4: Joy is a Choice
One of the most powerful tools we have for cultivating resilience is the ability to find joy even during the darkest of times.
Whether you’re feeling stressed and anxious or going through something really tragic and difficult, finding joy and comfort in the little things in life can be a bridge to that next season.
About eight years ago, I went through a particularly difficult season of life where I honestly couldn’t imagine ever being happy again.
Some traumatic things had happened that left me feeling…empty. Not depressed, but empty.
But instead of trying to fight for the bubbly happiness of an internal Summer, I accepted what was happening around me and instead focused on finding joy in the littlest of delights:
My favorite tea from Starbucks in the afternoon
Filling out my Five Minute Journal and finding things to be grateful for
The gorgeous burnt orange and ruby red hues of the maple tree down the street
Cozy nights in watching Harry Potter
The delight of an apple cider donut at the local fall festival
I relished these “pockets of joy” as I called them, because they kept me going.
They reminded me that a moment of pleasure is a choice and no matter what life throws at us, we all have choices.
We can choose whether we will consciously look for joy or whether we’ll allow a negativity bias to keep finding reasons to be miserable.
Don’t get me wrong: I had plenty of moments where I felt miserable. I cried a lot of tears during that time and felt hopeless and sad a lot of the time. But, wheevern I could, I made the choice to find little moments of joy in the hope that they would carry me forward.
And sure enough…they did.
The little things might not always feel like enough, but what’s the alternative? Consciously deciding to create a pocket of joy for yourself can help keep you afloat even if most of the time it feels like you’re sinking.
Anchoring yourself in the small things might also be more challenging, but it lets you hold onto your power instead of giving it away to your circumstances.
So, whatever season of life you are in right now, I hope that you’ll be able to take a few lessons from Autumn to find some comfort in.
And if you find yourself in a season where you could use some help in feeling like yourself again, join the waitlist for my CENTERED program, which will help you do just that.
I’m sending you great love and peace wherever you are <3