As we move into autumn here in the northwestern part of the United States, the fall colors are becoming evident. A few leaves are starting to drop but more significantly, the colors in the trees and bushes are beginning to change. Deciduous plants and trees lose everything they just got done growing and producing, every year at this time. From one perspective it might look ugly or seem pointless. From a different perspective though, we can see the importance of this and how it mirrors the cycles we as humans go through. These cycles come and go, and in between them we are integrating life’s lessons. The timing of our cycles versus those of nature are very different, granted, but we definitely go through seasons of shedding the old to make room for the new.
During these periods of “shedding,” we are actually doing something very important. We are in a period of integration. We need time to integrate what we have learned in the school of life and to apply the lessons we’ve learned. Learning the lessons is extremely valuable but we can’t assimilate that information into new thought patterns or behaviors without taking time to integrate them first. Generally speaking, this isn’t anything we do consciously although there are certainly things we intentionally do. Actually integrating life’s lessons is what propels us forward and causes us to make change.
Like the leaves that once were green and healthy, we have periods of growth where we flourish and expand also. Similar to trees during these times, our roots grow deeper and our presence becomes larger. As one particular season runs it’s course and we embark on a new season, we must let go of where we’ve been. We must shed the outdated behavioral patterns and thought processes so we can expand into new ones. Ones that are of a higher vibration and are indicative of our soul’s continued growth.
Before we can undertake new life lessons and continue our spiritual journeys, we must have down time. Time to re-evaluate what we’ve done and where we’ve been leading up to this point. We need time to determine what that path has meant to us and if it feels in alignment with who we are and who we want to be. Again, much of this work is done at the subconscious level and that’s okay. Our soul is still reaping the rewards of the work we’re doing. Integrating life’s lessons is how we take what we’ve learned and apply it to our future. It’s how we decide to do something different going forward so we have different experiences.
See related posts: Life Lessons and Letting Go Of What No Longer Serves Us
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