Silent things which drive us mad...

The pressure inside my dresser, from all the clothes stuffed inside which I will never wear. The dust that collects between the keys of my laptop. The faces of strangers filling my social sites with meaningless thoughts and memories of times I would rather forget. Fall has come, and I can't stop myself from throwing things away.

They say that we modern humans are disconnected from the cycles of the earth. The constant buzz of electric current fills the background of our lives, drowning out the grounding energy of the earth. Sometimes I wonder if this is why so many modern heathens seem to connect to Thor on a much wider scope than the other heathen Gods. Perhaps the Thunder God is simply easier for us to feel comfortable with, and relate to. The buzz of light and the boom which deafens.

But for me, and others, I am sure it is not so simple. I read in a book of Zen how one of the practices of meditation involves meditating on sound, and finding the silence which lies behind the sounds which arrest our eardrums. They say finding that unending constant silence is one of the keys of Zen thought. Sometimes I think that this is what we have lost, to great cost to humanity. The ability to see the constancy of change, and the endlessness which lies behind it. Being part of earth's cycle enables us to find a place of grounding in a world which blinds us with flashing lights and constant, incessant noise.

I always here Fall talked of as a time of stockpiling for winter, harvesting the fruits of the earth and stowing them away for the chill to come. And this I feel is part of the cycle.

But what about looking at the tree itself, one of the oldest symbols of nature. It gathers energy and food for the coming months from the deep earth. But what isn't so much thought of is the shedding of that which burdens it, it's leaves. The tree realizes that somethings need to die, and their is a priority of personal survival. There is nothing selfish in the act of a tree shedding it's leaves. The tree, I am convinced realizes that death is part of the cycle. That which it sheds will eventually become the fertilizer of next years growth. New leaves will come to fill the empty spaces when warmth is once again secure.

Which is why I believe that Fall isn't just for collecting sustainment, but also a time of letting go of that which burdens us, and drains our energy. We must realize that letting go of those clothes driving us mad with their presence may be better suited warming another's back. That dust which drives s mad may be better swept outside, where it can once again join the earth and become the foundation of new growth. Those people which we can no longer connect with, due to circumstance, may be better of moving forward to brighten the day of another.

So I have decided as painful as it may seem, it is time to let go of much which serves only to distract me from the constancy beneath it all.

In Frith,

Cena