I really like it because it’s about getting in touch with autumn, which is my favorite season!

Shifting With Nature
Change Of Season
In today’s world, office jobs and supermarkets have made it possible to work and provide for ourselves and our families regardless of nature’s cycles. While most of us no longer depend directly on nature’s seasons for our livelihood, our bodies’ clocks still know deep down that a change of season means a change in us too. If we don’t acknowledge this, we may feel out of sync, as though we have lost our natural rhythm. These days, autumn is more likely to bring thoughts of going back to school than harvesting, but in both cases, the chill in the air tells us it’s time to move inside and prepare for the future.We can consciously celebrate the change of season and shift our own energy by setting some time aside to make the same changes we see in nature. We can change colors like the falling leaves and wilting blooms by putting away our bright summer colors and filling our wardrobes and living areas with warm golds, reds, and browns. While plants concentrate their energy deep in their roots and seeds, we can retreat to quieter, indoor pursuits, nurturing the seeds of new endeavors, which need quiet concentration to grow. We can stoke our inner fires with our favorite coffee, tea, cider, or cocoa while savoring the rich, hot comfort foods that the season brings in an array of fall colors: potatoes, apple pies, pumpkin, squash, and corn. As animals begin growing their winter coats and preparing their dens for hibernation, we can dust off our favorite sweaters and jackets and bring blankets out of storage, creating coziness with throw rugs and heavier drapes. We can also light candles or fireplaces to bring a remnant of summer’s fiery glow indoors.

By making a conscious celebration of the change, we usher in the new season in a way that allows us to go with the flow, not fight against it. We sync ourselves up with the rhythm of nature and the universe and let it carry us forward, nurturing us as we prepare for our future.

This was my horoscope for the day at MySpace (yes, I finally caved and set up a profile). I really like it; it’s apt.

Regardless of your religious beliefs, take time from your workday to get in touch with your spirituality. It’s important to find a balance between your current obligations and your need to create meaning in your life. You may want to do some kind of ritual, prayer or meditation. Or perhaps you can contact your inner source by walking in the woods and listening to the trees. Whatever it may be, do it now.

This is so true for me:

Listening To Our Bodies
Illness LessonsWhen our body, mind, and spirit are in balance, we experience good health. But sometimes we get caught up in life’s parade of change and movement, and things get out of balance. Just as there are seasons in nature, our bodies go through times of cleansing and times of activity. Illness is one way our bodies restore the balance they seek, as it cleanses the buildup of unwanted manifestations of negative energy in our system. When we are not feeling our best, we can go beyond addressing the physical symptoms to listen to our bodies as they tell us the changes needed to restore balance.

Our bodies give us signals, but if we don’t listen when they tell us that they are tired or stressed, then the imbalance increases and a stronger message is required, one that is generally expressed by illness or dis-ease. The first step to regaining equilibrium involves slowing down, eating healthy food, getting more rest, and taking soothing remedies. Once we have nurtured ourselves with these things, we can begin examine our illness for the message. A heavy head may be a sign that we have been thinking negatively, harboring anger, resentment, or guilt. A sore throat may be telling us we have been speaking without integrity-gossip, insults, twisting the truth, or even speaking ill of ourselves, all of which can knock us off balance. A sore throat and swollen glands can also mean you are cleansing and processing some powerful emotions at present. Stomach problems could mean that we are having trouble accepting or “digesting” something. Only you have the knowledge of your thoughts and choices that will allow you to decipher the messages from your body. All it takes is time and attention.

When we take the time to listen to our bodies we can learn how to restore our balance and improve our lives. By honoring the messages of our bodies, we can turn a time of illness into a constructive time of restoration, healing, and revitalization.

I subscribe to a daily service from a website called DailyOm. Each business day, the site sends me my horoscope (Scorpio!), as well as a sort of daily affirmation/prayer/food for thought. There are some days when I am far too busy to read them, and I have a backlog to get through. But as I was skimming them, this phrase struck me in a powerful way:

Each soul chooses its own path. The more devoted a person is to remembering and being guided by spirit, the more quickly the soul will ascend.

This really struck a chord with me, although I can’t completely pinpoint why. I think I’ve been feeling spiritually starved lately; so much so, that I rearranged my work schedule in order to start attending a Cosmic Yoga class. I’ve also been wearing my “Om” pendant a lot more lately. I think I maybe my soul is thirsty. Cheers to spiritual librations!