Inner Awakening
They say fall is a time of letting go. I believe that’s true, but I think that’s only the beginning. If we look a little closer I think we would come to the understanding of fall as a time of awakening. Now, you might be thinking that spring is the time of awakening, but hear me out. Yes, fall is a transitional period that eases us into winter, the season of slowing down and moving inward. But, I think that we are simultaneously awakening to our inner wisdom, power, and potential. If spring is an outer awakening, fall is an inner awakening.
As we approach the end of the year, there is always a reflective period. A year-end review so to speak. This review period is the time when we can feel the stirrings of a revival. There is an inner dawning that rises and sheds light on things that we haven’t yet addressed and things we didn’t even know were there. We have an opportunity to be honest with ourselves about what’s working and what’s not, and about how things actually are versus how we wish them to be. Then we get to decide how to move forward. Are we going to step into our power and potential, or go back to sleep?
In yoga, the state of being asleep is behind the veil of illusion, or maya in sanskrit. As spiritual beings having a human experience, it is where we spend most of our time. But, the practices of yoga, and yoga nidra specifically, give us the ability to go beyond the veil. We have the ability to know our own truth, bliss, and consciousness. This revelation is a doorway to our potential and power. We wake up to the idea that there might be something more. However, just like in the practice of yoga nidra, we have to be able to let go in order to experience it.
As I sit writing this, I look out my window. I see half bare trees. The earth is sprinkled with crunchy leaves. Nature is always ready to teach. When I see a leaf fall from a tree it looks so graceful and light as it effortlessly descends to the earth. “Wow!”, I think. How freeing that must be to simply surrender to what is. The leaf doesn’t try to cling to the tree. Whether by leap of faith or unexpected detachment, the leaf lets go of its old foundation. If we can let go of our old beliefs and habits, our preconceived ideas, our comfort zones, we become light enough to go beyond the veil. We open ourselves to new experiences and allow the next phase of our journey to begin.
I can also see a thread of a spider web outside of my window. It seems to be free floating, neither coming nor going. On walks through the neighborhood these strands of web are everywhere. Mother Nature is reminding us that loose ends need to be tied up. We are meant to weave together something beautiful. We have the power to draw to ourselves those things that provide nourishment on all levels of our being. Now is the time to consider what are the threads that support you and add to the beauty of your life? Which strands can you let float away?
To describe this in the language of tarot and astrology, this is scorpio season energy, governed by Mars and Pluto. The tarot cards for Mars and Pluto are The Tower and the Judgement card, respectively. The zodiac sign Scorpio is represented by the Death card. Though the imagery of these cards are stark and seem bleak, they provide powerful and crucial lessons for our spiritual growth.
The process of letting go in order to wake up is depicted in the Death card. There is a rising sun in the background that alludes to a rebirth, or an awakening that is available to us if we can shed our baggage. We can think of the Tower card as an epiphany, a sudden jolt in consciousness where we realize that we must change, because change is happening around us anyway. Change is natural and the constant truth of life. The Judgement card depicts an inner awakening and a call to action. In astrology, Pluto represents our power. We have free will and that is inherently powerful. We can choose to act on our wisdom. We can choose to not go back to sleep.
The image of the phoenix rising from the ashes is my totem for this period in time. It’s a reminder of the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. It keeps me connected to the truth that loss is an illusion. Nothing is ever lost. It is only reborn into its next level of consciousness. So, as the days get shorter and the nights longer let yourself honor the rhythm of the season. Have faith in the unfolding. Like the trees, let go of the things that need to fall away with grace and gratitude for the start of a new chapter. Know that you are in the process of weaving together the wisdom gained from your past with the power of the present and the potential of your future. Do not let yourself go back to sleep. A new day is just beginning. The time to awaken is now.