.......the fifth season

Yogis,

Here in the mid-Atlantic we have turned the annual bend in the road where I can’t help but notice the signs that autumn is on its way.  Not unlike the signposts on the highway that every so often tell you how many more miles it is to town, these are not constant but periodic reminders.

I have been watching single brightly colored leaves float unaccompanied to the grass with grace, leaving their friends behind. I can hear the crickets beginning to join their voices into the nightly chorus outside my window. The dew on the grass now has a chill when my bare feet first make contact in the morning. Walking face first into fresh spiderwebs between each set of trees as I travel the path through the woods reminds me the end of summer draws near. 

Like the highway signs though, stretches of time will then pass without them……… Dry spells and oppressive heat settling back in. Muggy nights and bright new blooms on the Zinnia.  The town now seeming far away. This time of year is considered by some as the fifth season……..

Not quite summer, but also not fall. Sometimes referred to as Indian Summer, I find it to be an interesting time.  It can feel like a tug of war. One of my arms being pulled back by the warm and carefree attitude of summer, with the other arm pulled forward by the autumn air and the promise it holds. Back and forth.

There’s the physical of course. Shorts and a tank top one day, a light sweater the next morning. Basking in sun’s embrace and unexpectedly being brushed by a breeze that holds a sweet undercurrent of coolness. Suddenly remembering exactly what it feels like to be in jeans with a long sleeve shirt.

But there is also an energy change.  Once we get close to Labor Day, even on the hottest days, the pool somehow doesn’t have the same appeal.  No kids running through sprinklers, sandboxes and playgrounds a little quieter.  I notice it when I open my drawers. The summer clothes all looking up at me a little dull and tired.  As if they too are winding down. 

My garden knows. Lower leaves on many plants beginning to brown and dry. Bees….but less often. Birds…..but quieter. Yet the oregano and basil still abundant. And while the browned flowers of the bergamot fall, the late blooming sages are just now beginning their show.

The back and forth of this fifth season can tug on the emotions. Those who cling to summer never wanting it to end, saddened by the shorter days and the impermanence of it all. Attachment. Others longing for a faster current pulling us into the fall, irritated by the late ninety-degree days and cranky for having to step into those shorts yet one more time. 

Can I be ok with two steps forward and one step back?  Can I surrender into the heat, keeping my vibration in line with the hum of the insects one day, and then pull on the light blanket the very next without resistance? Without grumbling…….without complaining? In other words, can I let each miraculous day be exactly what it is and savoring it.

Hmmmm….   I am choosing Yes. Join me?

Om,
SARAH

.......bats

Yogis,

Some of you have heard this story as I have been sharing tales of all the non-human creatures that I share this parcel of land with during my yin workshops. This one involves bats. You know…..the species always mentioned in the same sentence as witch, vampire or blood. The maligned misunderstood bat. 

For the twenty years that we lived in the house next door we had bats in the eaves.  For the most part our only sightings were at dawn and dusk while out in the yard, witnessing their comings and goings.  But occasionally one would unintentionally find its way inside. 

I remember the one time putting all three boys to bed in their attic room only to find a bat hanging on the wall directly next to me and the baby.  Or the time I was alone downstairs in the early morning folding laundry when one began to swoop through the family room directly over my head and then curiously following my loud piercing shrieks as I ran up the stairs slamming my bedroom door and stuffing a blanket under it.  Oh, or the time I simply covered myself on the couch in a big blanket and screamed for help.

We learned the drill. Wait until daylight and then go back to find it and gently grab it with a towel or blanket.  In the light they don’t want to fly and don’t resist. Where they appear enormous and menacing at night, wrapped in a soft towel they are more like a small scared bird.  Once set outside, at some point they fly off.

Unless of course you can’t find them……. Once it was 2 days later when for some reason we looked up into a large church shaped birdhouse we had sitting on the ledge above the fridge, only to see him hanging upside down from the church ceiling. Now that was a sight!

When we moved next door, our renters were not quite as pleased with discovering a bat in the bedroom their second year.  So, once we entered fall which is the legal time to seal them out of the eaves, we did.  And where do you think they went?

Our new eaves, of course. It was a simple move next door for them, as it was for us. These eaves run along our bedroom wall so each spring/early summer we hear the commotion as the sun sets which I assume to be mating and childrearing.

My husband gave me a bat house the next year for my birthday (I don’t know a lot of women who get bat houses as birthday gifts) thinking that would bring them out of the eaves. The bat house still sits empty. Can’t say I blame them. 

I like having bats. They are nature’s mosquito control. It is said they can eat up to 1200 insects in an hour. Bats are the largest predator of night flying insects.  Bats also play a role in pollination and their poop is good for the ecosystem. There is something mystical about them. Sitting around the fire pit seeing their silhouettes across the night sky makes my heart beat a little stronger. Some of their spirit meanings are dreams, illusion, vision, physic powers and guardian of the night. 

Sadly, over these last couple of years we seem to have fewer and fewer.  There is a disease which spread rapidly through the US and has now killed over 6 million bats, with some species facing potential extinction.  Scientists are working hard to try to slow the spread, find solutions and convince Congress that bat preservation is important. There is some hope as certain species seem to be developing adapting skills and rebounding. Only time will tell. In the meantime I have many more mosquito bites…….

My home will always be open for their return. 

Embracing the wild things,
SARAH

.......the benevolence of trees

Yogis,

When asked about my town, my answer is always ‘I live in the woods only a few miles from downtown DC’.  It’s true….. or at least it has been.

When I moved into Cabin John 31 years ago turning up our narrow windy street was like entering a forest.  There was a noticeable hush. A visceral change of energy. A canopy of green that only allowed for dappled sunlight. Yes, we always had the planes overhead, and in the winter with the leaves down and the wind blowing the right way, we are reminded how close the beltway truly sits. But oh, all the trees!

The ancients. The wise old oak, mature maple, sturdy beech and water loving sycamore. Tulip poplar with the blanket of flowers she drops down in the spring much to the bee’s delight. All surrounding us like doting grandparents. Offering homes to the woodpecker, food for the deer and the very air we breathe as mere mortals. Even the fallen rotting branches creating an entire ecosystem that would take us years to comprehend. 

Quite often when someone first spends time here with me they ask, “Aren’t you afraid a tree will fall on the house?” Recently the question has arisen more often, showing me there is now a general fear of trees that has somehow snuck into our societal consciousness.  Slowly but surely my friends the trees are making their way onto the ‘what to be afraid of’ list that now includes mosquitos, fox, the sun, thunderstorms and everyday germs.  No, I say. Trees are benevolent. And I mean it.

Out front sits the magnificent oak I have watched through my windows my entire adult life. Providing much welcome shade on hot summer days, nesting spots for our squirrels and twigs for my fires. Yesterday I measured and determined it to be over 210 years old. The beech trees that protect my fire circle –a young 160 years. All sat here before the civil war and have witnessed the so-called progress we humans have made. None have harmed a soul. Can you or I say the same?

Yet the cutting continues. Many lots clear cut for new homes. Others removed or trimmed back so much they suffer to keep us from any power inconveniences. And as underground communicators and caretakers of each other, what is done on one property affects all the others. Trees are social beings and work as a team. We need them more than they need us.

No, the trees don’t scare me. In fact we all have to go some way and I think I would much prefer to be taken from this body I am occupying by the spirit of a tree, than many of the other options which are much more likely.  I trust the trees…..and I know they know that.

Grateful to have trees to hug,
SARAH

My funny grasshopper friend

.......hanging out with dragonfly

Yogis,

It’s dragonfly season! 

They are everywhere. Skimming over the river, darting above the fields and landing on the tips of my plants. Clothed in vivid iridescent colors with paper thin wings and tails that seem to go on forever.  

Born in the water and later taking flight, dragonflies are creatures of both air and water. Able to fly up to 45mph, change direction in an instant, hover like a helicopter and even fly backward. Their spiritual meaning is one of transformation and adaptability. Bringing dragonfly into your life will aid in your ability to make life changes mid flight. A metamorphosis when the time is right.

Their gracefulness in the air reminds us to keep a lightness in life. To stop taking ourselves so seriously and add in more joy. She can also help shed light on your life. The dragonfly’s connection with water also asks you to tap into your deeper emotions. 

I spend a lot of time with insects since they spend a lot of time with my plants.  Each with their own personalities and habits. Dragonflies are one of my favorites. Unique looking, harmless and oh so social…….

Over the years I have photographed many and what I have come to discover is they seem to enjoy it!  It is as if they are posing.  They hold very still and follow my lens with their bubble shaped eyes. As I talk to them during a shoot they often cock their head, trying to decipher the odd sounds spilling from my mouth.

Getting the perfect shot often takes time and periodically they will fly off as if to stretch their wings, landing right back in position only a moment later. No need to chase them, I have learned to wait. They are excellent models. 

This one and I had a quick conversation before she flew off.  I thought perhaps we were done, only to find her back in front of me with her lunch.  As I watched her eat in silence I could hear her chewing.  If you turn up the volume you may hear her too.  What a gift to share in a meal.

Yet again I am in deep awe and gratitude for what sits right outside my door. Dragonfly is magical.

Next time you see a dragonfly nearby, pause. Look her in the eye and say hello. See what messages she may have carried to you today.

Munch, munch,
SARAH