Autumn 2009

It was brought to my attention the other evening that it was the fall equinox. Normally, I pay attention when a new season begins but for some reason this year, autumn didn’t register in my consciousness until my friend mentioned it.

Actually, it turns out that officially the autumnal equinox was yesterday, 09/22 at 5:18 PM (EDT). The equinox is one of two times a year when the Sun crosses the equator, and the day and night are of approximately equal length.

I’ve been thinking about why this time around I was not mindful of the change in seasons, and what does this new season mean to me this year.

“Fall” is about down, about ending. One thing that’s ending is summer – here in Gilbert, that’s a blessing! We don’t usually think of “down” as a blessing – but we could. Perhaps it’s because it’s still pretty hot here and I never expected us to still be living in Gilbert when the fall came, that I lost track of the seasons.

“Autumn” we borrowed from the Latin autumnus ‘the harvest time of plenty.’ We’re excited that the heat is ending - there’s a lot ending these days. Transformation is in the air. And with it, a bountiful harvest.

While fall is usually about moving towards hibernating in winter, we feel a great and wonderful expectancy, in a way as if it were spring, the season for rebirth. There is a New World coming, one filled with more and more community and true meaning in life. One where our life is not focused on and attempting to glean meaning from accumulating money and material things. Rather, we’re quickly moving into the space where our life is focused on love, peace, and joy in our relationships with humans, plants, and animals. This ex-atheist sees it as a time of walking even more and more with Spirit.

A song by Nina Simone comes to mind. Although I was first introduced to it back in the early 70’s, it feels like it was written for these times.

New World Coming by Nina Simone (excerpt)

There's a new world coming
And it's just around the bend
There's a new world coming
This one's coming to an end

There's a new voice calling
You can hear it if you try
And it's growing stronger
With each day that passes by

There's a brand new morning
Rising clear and sweet and free
There's a new day dawning
That belongs to you and me

Yes a new world's coming
The one we've had visions of
Coming in peace, coming in joy
Coming in love.

These are exciting times - Happy Autumn!

Anniversary Eve

Tonight is the eve of our 4th wedding anniversary. It is a joy to think back to this time four years ago when I was about to embark on the greatest commitment of my almost 50 years of life.

Rog and I had met on match.com and within two weeks of full-time email correspondence and two face-to-face meetings, we were talking about spending the rest of our lives together. And, only seven months later, we each promised to do our best to always see the Light in the other and to be their perfect shelter, where they could be reborn in safety and in peace. This from the ex-atheist who’d never been in a romantic relationship more than two years!

As I was preparing for Rog to come into my life – The Man Project –, I talked with God and asked for help. While I had yearned to find my life partner for as long as I could remember, I was used to living on my own and enjoyed it for the most part. I knew that I still hadn’t learned all my lessons regarding relationships (really!) and I didn’t want to let that ‘small’ matter keep my good from coming to me. I asked God to help me be ready for The One and help me with whatever I would need to make the relationship a ‘successful’ one.

It’s been a growth opportunity to say the least, and it’s been the most joyful, love-filled, fun time of my life. Being with Rog, my twin flame and ‘bestest-bestest’ friend, is quite the adventure. And, while it was somewhat a leap of faith for me to make such a monumental commitment to someone I knew only seven months (in this lifetime), I knew God was an integral part of this precious, divine relationship. With God all things are possible, and this holy union proves it!