It’s That Time of Year

This is a most magical time of the year. There is something unique going on during this time. I know it sounds crazy, but it is true. Let me explain. But first, I am reminded of how I used to experience it. I used to hate this time of year… the end of summer, beginning of fall. I love summer. And I love fall. But for some reason, the time between the two always made me grumpy and agitated. I would feel stressed and on edge. I am not exactly sure why, but I may have some guesses now. Let me explain a few things and then we can dive into my theories.

So, the reason this is such a magical time is because a HUGE transition is happening. The earth (or at least the northern hemisphere) is stretching and yawning and getting ready to sleep. Think of your summer. How did it feel? What did you do? Did you spend time and/or travel with family? Go on vacations? Swimming? Tackle a big project? During the summer months, we as humans tend to be a little more awake in our physical bodies. Whether we were actually actively physical or not, the summer is the time of the physical body. We run, play, swim, and do. The physical earth is awake as well. Plants are growing, animals are more active, flowers are blooming, the earth is producing fruits and vegetables. There is so much activity going on! We can always find a reflection of our nature in Mother Nature. This is all part of a grand design. And this is where I think I would get a little messed up…

So again, the earth in the summer, is growing, producing, living! The various plants are soaking up the sun’s rays… literally soaking up the light. As humans we are having many experiences! As fall approaches, its life is spent. Plants begin to wane and die. As humans, we begin to reflect and internalize our summer experiences (kind of mirroring the plants.) As the plants die, they let go of their light, releasing it and giving it over to human beings. This is where taking a walk in nature is so good. It allows you to catch that released light and hold it within you. Rudolph Steiner suggests walking in nature and breathing in deeply. Know that you are not just breathing in air, but drinking in the light. As we head through fall, we can use that stored light. During Michaelmas, we use our gathered strength from our experiences to fight our dragons. We too, like the plants, turn inward. We reflect. We use the light to make ourselves better… improvements. Then during the season of Martinmas and on our way through the December holidays, we use our gathered light to help others. We become light to those around us. Again, using our experiences and strength to buoy up ourselves and others through the long, cold winter, when the physical sun is waning.

Back to where I believe I went wrong. I believe I was fighting the transition. My temperament is sanguine phlegmatic. I do love my comforts, but I also love bouncing around and doing and having fun, enjoying the weather, rain or shine. Coming to the end of summer makes me slow down before I feel ready. But, this year I was a little more intuitive. I spent more time in nature, which caused me to be more aware of what is going on. It has helped me make that shift inwardly. Walking around nature has caused me to start catching some light. Although it is very, very hot where I live (still 90 degrees and very humid), and although the earth is very much alive still, I can see the slight signs of autumn. My vegetable garden has slowed down and not producing as much. My cucumbers have died off. My watermelon has died off. My tomato plants randomly produce a tomato. The signs are there. I just never picked up on them before. Where I live it is either green or brown. Not many other colors. We have two “seasons,”  hot and not so hot. They change quickly, with very little transition time. So it is very hard to catch if you aren’t paying attention. This is why I believe I got stuck. But because I have made myself more acutely aware of these earthly changes this year, I have accepted the changes inside myself more readily. And although we have just begun this transition in to fall (we aren’t even there yet) I already feel different. I feel myself shifting and moving… just like these tiny signs from nature.

So what does this has to do with eurythmy? Eurythmy is exercise of the etheric body, the spiritual body. If you don’t understand what the etheric is going through, how can you exercise it? When our physical body is active, our etheric is at rest: therefore, when our physical body is resting, our etheric is more active. This happens during the various seasons. When our physical body is more active during the summer, our etheric is resting. And when the physical is resting during winter, the etheric is active. This helps explain the changes our body undergoes during this time of year. And as we know, the etheric provides health and protection to our physical. Go with the flow of the seasons. Get out in nature and partake of the fresh air, along with giving and receiving light!