At this time of year, after the Fall Equinox and before the Winter Solstice, I always feel very low energy. The days are getting progressively shorter, it’s colder, it’s often too wet to work in the gardens, even if there was much to do, which hopefully there isn’t any more. I’m definitely in hibernation mode and I feel myself sinking into slumber…But of course, in our modern times, there’s no allowance for this seasonal shift, there’s no time to rest! Deadlines continue, students are diligently attending school, appointments must be made, etc. So I take my Vitamin D3, shake my head and do my best to keep up (but maybe I go to bed just a bit earlier). For me, surrounded by annual and biennial plants as my companions, it only seems natural to “die back” a little, to sink energy into my roots and rest there for a time. After all, spring will demand a huge outburst of energy, and it will come soon enough. Surely I must rest while I can so that I’m ready to spring into action when the days start to lengthen again! Just as there are lunar cycles each month, there are seasonal cycles through the year. True seasonal autumn (as opposed to the pumpkin-spice latte season) feels like the waning time, like just before the New Moon. I love it, I don’t feel depressed by it! But I wish I could honour it properly by going back to bed!
