Autumn arrives with an invitation for us to slow down,
To surrender and to turn inwards.
She guides us towards stillness and darkness and helps us return home to ourselves.
She calls our energy inwards after a season of outward expression.
If autumn were a time of day,
She'd be dusk.
That time and space between light and dark.
A time for reflecting on what's being and a time of giving thanks.
She calls us to let go,
Which may be welcomed or may be resisted.
But either way,
Change is certain,
Unavoidable.
Just as green leaves cannot resist the time of turning and that natural dance back down to earth.
My name is Jillian Florence Sanger and in this guided meditation,
I will support you in tuning into the wisdom of autumn.
So you can begin by finding a comfortable seated,
Standing or lying down position.
Whatever position is most supportive for your practice in this moment.
Notice all the parts of your body that meet the earth beneath you.
Feeling yourself supported by the earth in this moment.
And check in with your body,
Seeing if there are any areas of tension that might be yearning to soften.
Beginning to soften into this moment,
Into this practice.
And once you feel grounded,
Shifting your awareness towards your breath,
To any place where it feels effortless and comfortable.
To notice this dance of life as it enters and exits your body.
Not trying to change the breath in any way,
Just being with the breath.
Now I invite you to tune into your mind's eye and call to mind a place in nature.
An autumnal scene in nature where you feel comfortable,
Supported and at ease.
It could be a place familiar to you or one that you make up there in your mind's eye.
You might see yourself standing or seated or lying down in this autumn setting.
Allowing yourself to get comfortable here.
Noticing what you're wearing and noticing what it feels like to be held by the autumn earth.
And notice what this autumn space looks like.
Maybe noticing leaves as they turn from lively shades of green to rust,
Gold and mahogany.
Noticing the other plant life,
The animal life.
And noticing the quality of light that fills this space.
Notice what this place sounds like.
Notice if there's a taste on the tip of your tongue.
And notice what the breeze feels like against your skin.
Is the air indeed in flow or is it still?
And as you bathe in this space in your mind's eye,
Notice if there is any particular element of this setting that is speaking to you more than most.
That emanates wisdom and care perhaps more than the others.
Maybe there's a golden birch leaf or a red maple that's calling your attention.
Maybe it's the feeling of the earth beneath your seat or the quality of light in the sky.
Just notice what is calling your attention the most.
Something that emanates wisdom and love.
And as you rest with your awareness on this most calling element of this autumn landscape,
Tune into the wisdom that is there.
If this element had some message of support or insight to share with you,
What would that message be?
What gentle,
Loving,
Wise guidance does this autumnal element have for you?
Take some time to listen,
To tune in with your inner knowing.
If there is another element here that is calling your attention,
Shift your focus to it and see what it might be trying to whisper to you.
What wisdom does it embody?
Take just a few more moments to rest with the energy of either of these elements or with the landscape as a whole.
Sense into what it's like to bathe in autumn's wisdom,
To embody it in every cell of your being just for this moment.
Take a moment to thank the wisdom of this space that has come through.
And then take a long,
Full breath in,
Exhaling with a sigh,
As you allow the visualization to gently dissolve and as you tune back into the felt sense of your body on the surface beneath you.
Check in with your breath,
Breathing effortlessly in and out.
And before you open your eyes,
Just sensing into any wisdom that came through for you in this meditation.
And if wisdom felt difficult to tap into,
Can you hold that experience in full acceptance,
Trusting that wisdom will be unveiled to you in due time.
And if these words resonate with where you feel called to move,
I invite you to silently repeat,
May I slow down this season.
May I surrender what no longer serves me.
May I tend to what is within me with care,
Wisdom,
And compassion.
Taking one more long,
Deep breath in and out.
And in your own time,
Opening your eyes whenever you're ready.
