What needs to die? Lessons from Autumn Cleansing

For many, cleansing is a physical practice. It involves taking stock of the state of the home, sweeping up the crumbs, brushing away the cobwebs. Organizing. Purging of the things no longer needed.

Why is such a practice so intuitively understood?

Cleansing is a symbol for change, and a cathartic process to welcome in new beginnings. It is said that a clean space fosters a a clear mind.

But the practice of cleansing – especially in the fall – goes beyond the physical.

Each autumn, as the winds shift, we are offered an opportunity to cleanse and revitalize the soul. Something about the waning sunlight, the fiery leaves, and the cool temperatures sends a signal to the spirit; a change is coming. Are you prepared?

And if we dig deeper into the change, the root of it all – the truth in the transition – is uncovered.

Fall is the season of death.

Once a year, we witness the death of the world around us. Flowers wilt, trees drop their leaves. Darkness falls.

And at first glance, this time of endings can bring about sadness. The color seems to fade from the natural world.

But what's left behind is simplicity. No flowers, no buzzing insects, no grassy scent on the air.

No room for what cannot be sustained moving forward.

No fluff.

There is a lesson to be learned from the autumn shift. As we cleanse our spaces and our bodies, harvest homegrown veggies, seal off the windows to the cold, we can embrace the simplicity and peace of the fall.

The season invites us each to look inward and reflect: what matters most? What must remain in the next phase of your life? What needs to die?

This fall, as the leaves turn and the world shifts, step fully into what it means to cleanse.

Yes, mourn the close of the summer. And in addition, move forward.