For the
gardener at Temenos, March 23rd is a day of great celebration.
It heralds the arrival of autumn and the beginning of the crisp, clear and cool
months that McGregor so perfectly offers.
This
morning while ambling along our winding paths I had the distinct sense that the
garden was celebrating with me. The long testing days of summer are gently
retreating and giving way to a softer light and the promise of rest. It is as
if nature herself has become weary of holding onto the fullness that summer so
generously brought. One can almost feel the release of her long out - breath.
There is no rush. Just one lingering stretch as she prepares to let go
into her slow retreat.
Sitting in
The Well before meditation my eyes chanced upon the painting of the bear on one
of the tiles facing west. Nine years ago Roselle Mazetti, a beloved friend of
our garden, painted around the well itself four animals that for the North
American indigenous peoples symbolized the different seasons we ourselves move
through, not only in the outer world, but in the inner landscape of our souls.
In the
kingdom of spirit- animals the bear represents autumn. As a creature in
touch with the earth and the cycles of nature the animal has timelessly been
acknowledged as a powerful spirit guide in supporting physical and emotional
healing. Bear medicine therefore emphasizes the need to reflect and recollect.
For this one may be called to times of solitude, quiet time and rest.
Only
recently I returned from my own annual silent retreat. What a rich time it
was! As always it proved to be challenging, comforting, inspiring,
enlightening. Silence and solitude bring so many gifts to those willing to
respond to their invitation. As we retreat from all our outward activity and
come to stillness, the golden opportunity to see ourselves more clearly
inevitably arises. Sometimes we are taken aback. We become aware of
the subtle motivations and values behind how we live. We may even notice what
remains unrecognized or unacknowledged within ourselves or what are our
surfacing fears and insecurities are really saying? Perhaps too we may
glimpse our unhealed wounds or our forgotten dreams. If we have the courage and
strength of the bear to meet adversity and to trust this time of hibernation,
the season will doubtless enrich our soul. We may even begin to sew anew,
within ourselves and the world around us, the seeds of compassion and Love. How
well I have come to know the inner figures that may pitch up on my retreat in
need of compassion. The cynic, he saboteur, the unknown ones, the vulnerable
and the wise ones - all good old friends ever inviting me to a deeper encounter
with myself, and the Beloved.
I smile. I
must not forget the playful one! Humour invariably waits for those who
frequent the trail of retreat. What relief, after a lifetime of withdrawing to
monasteries or sitting high on a solitary mountain or in a tent in
the desert, to finally discover the paradoxical art of taking oneself
very seriously and not seriously at all.
So, like
Basho, I celebrate the season!
‘Autumn
nears
and my
heart is drawn
to a
four-mat room’
May you too
this autumn find the time to withdraw and rest awhile - whether you retreat to
a corner of your bedroom or your garden, or to the freedom of the hills. A
place set aside to honour silence, simplicity and solitude. You deserve the
gift.
Deep peace
of the falling leaves to you.
With love,
Billy
