Recognizing the Signs

Dear Reader,

We are still enjoying the warmth of summer, even as August nears its end. We all know that Autumn is coming, but other than the calendar, we don’t have many signs to tell us.

Unless…

We learn to pay attention. One sign of the changing seasons most of us recognize first is that the sun sets earlier, and we have a little less daylight each day. But there are other, less obvious signs as well.

The sun also sets at a slightly different point along the horizon each day as Autumn approaches. For us, it is making its way closer and closer to Pleasant Mountain each time it drops below the horizon.

Also, more and more acorns are falling, making cracking sounds as they hit our tin roof, and gunshots as they bounce off the bottom of our overturned canoe!

Finally, the birds and animals are a little more restless. The Canadian geese are not leaving yet, but they are on the move, flying from spot to spot along the lake shore in a way they haven’t before.

Winter is coming.

Why am I making a big deal out of recognizing the signs of winter, dear reader?

Because, in a similar way, our souls are also sending us signals that change is coming, and we don’t often recognize them right away – until we learn to pay attention to them.

We constantly get definite signals of our deep desire for change – in our dreams, our waking thoughts, our bodily sensations and our emotions. The sooner we recognize the signs, sooner we can tune in to what we really want and take the necessary actions to move in the right direction.

If we miss the signals, we also may miss opportunities – and our souls will need to send us louder signals! Because the soul is very, very insistent. That’s when we can start to experience stress, confusion, restlessness, frustration…

It pays to recognize those early, subtle signs that your soul wants change. How do you learn to do that?

You can start by paying attention to how you feel – right now – and what you want, no matter how big or small – right now – and honoring those feelings. Practice that much faithfully, and you will be on your way.

I honor your loving heart,

John