Sandy's Sept/Oct 2024
Qigong & Mindfulness Newsletter

Weeds and Flowers

 

Dear Ones: 

As I prepare this newsletter, we are in the final 3 weeks of the Summer season in the northern hemisphere, with gardens and farmer’s markets overflowing with an abundance of healing food and colorful bouquets…the fruits of our labor, to be enjoyed and shared. 

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And if your garden beds look anything like mine, they also have an abundance of weeds and vines, happily taking over any unused inch of soil or brick!  We toil and weed, pull and trim…doing our darndest to stay ahead of their enthusiastic maneuvers and never-ending root systems, until…UNTIL…

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One day we notice the pretty purple flowers, the unusual leaf patterns, all adding variety and at times, even beauty, to our sacred garden beds, and we sigh with awareness (and to be honest, with relief!) that the time has come to relax and let the seasonal changes occur, both inwardly and outwardly.

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As my Qigong and Tai Chi teacher, Dr. Roger Jahnke reminds us, “The most relevant insights and AH-HAs arrive from within, with cultivation over time. The true gift of Fall/Autumn is not so much getting what we wished for, but rather the gift is that which we have received - whether preferred or not. From cultivating Qigong, we know that what actually occurs is far more profound than what we might have wished for…”

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Soon we will join other cultures from around the world celebrating the energetics of the Harvest Season and the Autumn Equinox.  Drawing upon ancient wisdom, one faces West during fall Qigong practices to absorb the medicines, powers (the elixirs) of the season of completion and reward, storing the energies of the West in the marrow of our bones.

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I love this reflection from Dr. Jahnke, as well, where we look at each day as a cycle: “In the course of a day, the morning is Spring, noon is Summer, and Fall is evening. EVENING…the process of making things even, leveling, balancing. Not only are the days even (equal daylight and night darkness), but Fall invites us to an evening - a balancing.”

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What are you balancing? What needs 'evening' this season?

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And finally, on a related note, I just did a wonderful meditation this morning that asked me to consider whether I am more focused on Eliminating the Weeds or Growing the Flowers? I hope you will ponder this question on your own and perhaps also join me on Wednesday, September 25th at Harbor Wellness at 11am (immediately following Qigong) to personally experience this meditation .  It’s a free Pop-Up for members!

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May you find joy in the final days of summer as you slowly turn your practice toward the WEST and ALLOW in the harvest blessings you have been cultivating this past spring and summer.

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Take good care,

Sandy Salvo

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P.S.  According to "Island Wisdom", a little book Kathi Vos has loaned me after their recent trip to Kauai, the Hawaiian Art of Patience reminds us to "remain in a constant state of gratitude for whatever shows up in our lives, especially during times of hardship and challenge."  Perhaps we can all apply this wisdom to our lives, including those overgrown garden beds. :)