The other November vibe

With Samhain in our rearview and Thanksgiving in our sights, we've officially entered "the holiday season." That's what we call the window of time from Thanksgiving through the turning of the new year. During this time we experience seasonally cooler weather outside, shorter days and longer nights in the Northern Hemisphere. We pull out warmer clothes, heavier blankets and our soup pots. If you live in Texas like I do, you might even make your first batch of chili as the first cold snap moves in.

The changes we experience during the season of Autumn don't just happen outside. They happen inside too. When we are tuned into nature's rhythms instead of media or marketing rhythms, we naturally put down some of the adventures of Summer and start settling into a slightly slower life pace at this time of year. It's nature's and our body's organic way of preparing for Winter—a natural transition out of Summer's bright busyness that carries us into Winter's less intense stillness.

The later days of this month are marked by our modern-day Thanksgiving. With just over a month left until the turning of the year, it's a nice marker for taking a look in the rear view mirror to see how we did. What worked for us? What didn't? What fruits are ready to be harvested from our hard work, what needs more attention, and what is ready to die off? What do we wish we could go back and do differently? Is there anything that we need to "clean up?" Who have we been this past year? Are we the person we want to be? What changes do we aspire to make and how can we start preparing for them? Where are we holding our own and where do we need to ask for help or support?

Taking time to gain this kind of insight by the time the year turns puts us in pretty good shape to have things sorted and start planting seeds for our aspirations in the Spring. As life's natural rhythms slow down, so are we called to slow down. As the intensity of summer flowers begins to soften, so are we called. As tree leaves begin to turn and shed, so can we begin shedding what in our year-long journey feels complete.

Autumn is the time to start taking a more inward view of things so that when Winter fully arrives, we are ready to dive into a process of deep personal rewiring. Winter's energy calls for even more stillness than Autumn's does. Winter is a time of introspection and planning for Spring's eruption. So Fall is the best time to review and take stock, not to judge ourselves but to jump-start our growth.

None of this takes anything away from robustly celebrating Thanksgiving with family and friends. Today more than ever, our personal connections and relationships matter. The love we feel matters. The laughter we share matters. We all want to feel seen, heard, respected and appreciated. Letting the people in the world around us know that we see them and love them matters, because we never know when it will be our last opportunity. Thanksgiving is a great excuse to spread our love around. Even if crossing a long bridge to do so might feel impossible, make it happen anyway. Let your love-light shine this Thanksgiving no matter what.

As always, remember that nothing changes if we change nothing.