September Shift
What is it about September that feels so different? As if Labour Day is just a sneaky reprieve before every out-of-office reply is universally lifted in unison and we all feel compelled to return to the grind. I mean, the weather is still stunning, wildflowers still have blooms, and the ocean is still a cozy degree above freezing. Summer is still technically here. But. If you’re moving slowly enough, you may also notice that morning dog walks might require a long sleeve, that dusk is gracing us just a little earlier each eve, and the edges of maple leaves are somehow turning ever so crispy. I don’t think it’s just our capitalistic indoctrination that’s signalling a return to routine. What’s happening out there is also happening within. There is no doubt about it, we are in transition.
What does this September shift mean for you? Often, it feels like a return. Whether you’re getting back to your studies or packing your children up for school, getting back to the office after a beautiful stretch of vacation or simply remembering these milestones after so many years of repetition, there is a shared sentiment of an ending, edged with grief and promise, and a grounded sense of touching down.
Yet, we are never the same person in a new season, and therefore old routines might not quite fit. I invite you to reflect in the return, to shake your turning leaves, to harvest the bounty of summer, and to find space in the established growth that was nothing more than a bud just last spring. Lean into the shortening days, bow down with the pace of the sun, and open for the autumn moon to illuminate your inner space. The routine that September yearns for doesn’t necessarily have to be the one you had before your journey into the sun. How will you embody this next season? What needs to shift?
On a personal note, I got married at the end of August AND, for the first time in five years, I’m not starting classes this September. I’m very much experiencing my own return, to work and to myself, ready to ground in my practice, refreshed and somewhat anew. I’m looking forward to connecting with familiar faces and welcoming new clients. I’ve got loads of new availability in my fall schedule while I take my academic pause. I hope to share this transition with you.
Onward,
Alicia