Wake me up - when September ends...

Long time, no blog.  I’ve been off with the fairies, dreaming, dozing, delegating my life.  Now it’s time to wake up.  Why do I never follow my own advice?  I took a look in my book The Natural Year and there it is…

‘Autumn shouts ‘wake-up’ to the psyche – it’s time to dust yourself off after the languor of summer and take life head on again.’ 

I’m late, I thought, as I blinked my way into the day (hideously early as always on a school day); September has nearly ended.  And, see, there goes my mind again, skittering off on a tangent, now thinking about the song.  Flibbertygibbet mind. 

I made far more sense when I was younger.  J  Let me remind myself what I said then…

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‘Neither yin nor yang can hold power over this time of the year – the year is held like scales in perfect balance.  This is a transitional time when you need to keep balanced and centred, just like the year itself.  But it is also a time when the powers of creation are coming up again – from the clear energy of fire comes the manifestation implied by earth – not just the harvesting of the fields but all kinds of creation, new beginnings, the start of something different.  Earth energy can kick-start you into new directions and differing ways of living life.’

Okay. 

And how?  In practical terms?

‘In the early part of autumn you should begin a warming  and toning diet.  Shift to wearing light but warm clothes and take oil baths and massages to begin gently to warm the body.’

I can do that. 

‘Autumn is a time for storing what is necessary and getting rid of what is no longer needed.  It’s a time of clarity; of dumping the dross, of getting rid of things both physical and emotional which no longer have a place in your life.  It’s time for a second big clear-out, an ‘autumn-clean’ if you like.’

Hmm.

‘According to Chinese philosophy, if you cling sentimentally to old attachments and desires, you will end up feeling anxiety, grief and a profound feeling of melancholy.  These feelings, in turn, will affect your body – predominantly your lungs and large intestine.  The result will be flu, colds and a general case of low resistance, of feeling under par.  If the problem goes deeper it might bring breathing difficulties, chest pains, skin conditions and other unpleasant results.’

Ouch. 

Okay, so time for a clear-out.  Some decluttering.  A detox.  I get it.  Care to join me?   J

The Natural Year - A Seasonal Guide to Alternative Health and Beauty - now updated for Kindle