Hello and welcome let us greet the season of darkness together the wise warm and imaginative darkness the darkness that gathers us by the fire autumn how to spend it mindfully of course it depends on where you spend your autumn I'm spending it in tiny house in nature and literally sitting by the fire when I'm recording this talk I'm observing sensations in myself that maybe you share it is a weird mix of joy coming from season of harvest and melancholy coming from the realization that the summer is gone and there is no sudden comeback a weekend of summery weather no it is gone and soon there will be winter but autumn is not just this gap between the summer and winter it is a whole process in itself with majestic golden and red colors melodic rains falling leaves isn't it a moment of magic when you walk by the golden trees and suddenly a leaf drops right into your hand have you ever experienced this isn't it a joy to play with those fallen leaves to take photographs to inhale the spicy air fruit gardens and cocoa with cinnamon and anything else that brings out the taste of autumn for you pumpkin soup perhaps you could call it a cliche but isn't it tradition isn't it something that weaves together times and times again connects us to people who came before and people who will come after us just like autumn connects the proud and beautiful summer with thoughtful and long winter for some the seasons may look different but this is how they look to me and I try to catch those emotions to catch and savor melancholy when I follow and drop sliding down a window with my eyes and when I rush outside and there is a rare moment of sunshine and I appreciate it so much more for its rareness and of course when I cuddle on the couch with my many pillows and a warm woolen blanket and I rejoice so much in this warmth and I brew myself a cup of something tasty and eat something because I don't have to get ready for summer shape and I can just treat my body and be playful and be thoughtful maybe lose myself on the pages of a book or even on the screen with something that captures attention and provokes thought,
Invokes imagination,
A time for tales,
A time for conversations,
A time for long walks and even longer sitting in the evening time that starts to be quiet and yet bursts out with laughter then and again when there are all the festivities that we have in the autumn it carries us all through to the eve of our winter festivals when it will be already the longest night the autumn is truly the dive into darkness as it is the season when the nights reach their longest winter will be young compared to autumn autumn is the true elder of the seasons a wizard that teaches us transcendence teaches us to let go to shed to make space so that then we can come to our roots restore ourselves through the winter and be reborn again in spring but we need to let go of everything that we have accumulated we need to gather all the fruit of this year and we need to accept it all as it is it is not too little it is not wrong it is enough and right what we needed to create this year and we can give thanks and we can be ready this is my mindful autumn and I wish the tastiest coziest and richest autumn to you thank you
