Love Letter to the Forest

By Regina Roeder

November 3^rd, 2021

Dear fall

what a gift to slow down.

To come back into rhythm.

Inspired by patience and trust.

That whatever we let go

is only be transformed into

something else,

something unknown.

In the meantime

while Mother Earth becomes empty

I watch this colorful dance of impermanence.

A selfless giving away as a gift for the whole.

Grateful on your invitation each year

to find peace in surrendering

into our own colorful journey.

With grace.

Enjoying the in-between both spheres.

The empty space is where creation lies,

that's what Mother Nature taught me,

so may I be guided by confidence

and walk through my own seasons

as gracefully as you do.

Selflessly celebrating life and its transience

with the whole, to remember:

In nothingness lies everything.

What a gift she returned to observe this time of the year. A divine dance of colors and light. How nature created such an exuberance of flavors and scents right before going to rest. The great harvest before hibernation. How metaphorical for each journey on this planet. Reminding us of this transient passage that we are undertaking. Yet often a challenge to fully accept its invitation. All that exists will eventually be transformed. All of creation. Like the leaves dancing joyfully in their autumn dress before they become one again with the earth.

And she took her gaze towards the apple trees. What a wonder that has its origin in a tiny seed. Within resides all the information for him to sprout, for the flower to flourish and the fruit to grow. Each passage steered by a natural intelligence. The tree does something, she thought, we had often forgotten. To become part of creation and be selflessly of service to the whole. To walk through the seasons and let go of what had been. To trust its journey into nothingness. This philanthropic ideal to give what one has for the joy of others without hoarding put a smile on her face and she knew her idealistic worldview would only spark others if she herself lived it. Wasn't that the source of freedom? To trust her journey's own unfolding and come back to that place of inner knowing whenever she wasn't sure about her direction. To remember one fundamental question when walking through life.

Where does the seed grow from?

From the inside out.

Each apple will at some point go on a different journey, whether he nourishes the ground, the bird or even herself. In any case he will disappear, he will merge with something else.

We are invited to do the same, to harness each given moment as it is while allowing ourselves to go through cycles, riding the tidal waves of life. Guided by an inner knowing that the path will reveal itself along the way at the same time as it disappears.

Only through disappearance we remember a path that had been forgotten. To walk towards life from deep inside our hearts. To respark our love for humanity. To flourish since if one person flourishes everyone else does. Like the apple tree. To trust life and all its deaths and rebirths along the way. To see them as the preparation for our own physical disappearance. Even though she believed in reincarnation, she knew this threshold at the end of our lives was frightening for many amongst us.

Why is that so?

And the current times another hint of this deeply rooted fear that resides in each human being. A fear stemming from our own separation, of having forgotten to be part of a greater story. This connection with everything else through our own spiritual nature.

And when she looked at the world right now, she saw a communal shedding, an extended autumn veiling the planet, preparing each citizen for a new chapter. She smiled upon that thought since various times when life presented her a crisis. When she walked on truly thin ground. When she was standing in front of the door, holding the handlebar, but couldn't find the force to open, when the words lay on her tongue but she couldn't find the courage to say them. All these scenarios when life wanted to catapult her into a next chapter. She found herself paralyzed. Thinking life was against her, that she wasn't ready to leave the comfort, the secure and safety veil behind yet even though everything was welcoming her.

And what gratitude she felt, for everytime she did leave the known behind. For all its surprises and treasures change revealed, only for taking the first courageous step. And although she had stepped into unknown territories many times. Every time anew it gave her chills and goosebumps about what might lie on the other side.

Crossing into new ground is something we haven't truly learnt, have we? We have forgotten the rituals to move through seasons and cycles. To live with the sun, the moon and the stars. To slow down. What a grand invitation nature does each day to remind each of us to move gently with her and not against her. Knowing the journey will provide everything we require along the way. No need to accumulate or starve oneself. These tiny lessons she sents us through her elements, her animals and planets. Do we dare listening? Do we allow to revive our imagination? Like the tiny seed moves through his own cycles. And in order to evolve into the next stage he has to give up his previous chapter and trust whatever is following.

Where could she find the trust for the next chapter if the new hasn't been formed yet? Deep inside her there was a place, a nourishing fire that contained everything to guide her. This source of unconditional love. A voice that is often ignored. But wait until you follow it. Everything changes. From the people that are drawn into your life, the projects and environments you find yourself in. It is incredible how strongly it ripples out once you allow it being your guidance. Since if not it will attract anything to crack your heart open to remind you to share your love.

How nourishing to reestablish those ancient friendships with the stars and the moon, the trees and the birds. What a blessing to have these wonderful relationships especially when times are shaky. To remember the great mother rests inside each of us, the source of all creation. To when in doubt move like her. Selflessly. With patience. Creating ripples of unconditional love. And share it with the whole.