What Does Harvesting the Fruits of Your Labor Have to do With Visioning?
In retrospect, I should have written this article in September as a prelude to our transition into autumn, but I was so excited about having found a socially responsible hotel in Cambodia that I couldn’t resist sharing it with you. So before it’s too late, let’s jump in and take a look at the significance of autumn and how it fits into the lifelong process of visioning.
Autumn (or “fall”) is bookended by the autumn Equinox, which occurred on Sept 22nd this year, and the winter Solstice, which will occur on December 21st. The autumn Equinox marks the start of fall in the Northern Hemisphere where the length of the day is roughly equal to that of its night. Thereafter, the days become shorter than the nights. During the equinox, the Sun’s center passes through the “celestial equator” – an imaginary extension of the Earth’s equator in the sky which divides it into the northern and southern hemispheres, the way the Earth’s equator does.
Cultures have been tracking the movement of the Earth around the Sun since ancient times:
- At Machu Picchu in Peru, an ancient stone monument called Intihuatana—which means “Hitching Post of the Sun”—serves as a solar clock to mark the dates of the equinoxes and solstices.
- In Mexico, the Mayans, who had mastered the knowledge of the stars, the planets, and the sun, built Chichen Itza, a giant pyramid to honor their main diety, Kukulkan, the feathered serpent, which for a few minutes each equinox appears as a snake made of light slithering down the pyramid’s steps!
- In England, Stonehenge was also built to celebrate the equinoxes and solstices each year.
Today, fall brings us Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the end of Daylight Savings Time when we fall back, setting our clocks back an hour on November 6th and regaining an hour of precious sleep!
Because it feels like summer virtually all year round here in Santa Barbara, it’s easy for us to disconnect from the subtle changes that occur as we transition from one season to the next. For years, I’ve been intrigued by the idea that while we may not see the dramatic changes that usher in the Fall like, say in New England, there are still important shifts happening around us and physical forces acting upon us that are worth not just noticing but working and aligning with.
For example, Fall, in farming terms, is the season of harvest. It represents a time of plenty, ripening, and abundance which apply not just to farming but to our individual personal growth and development. Fall follows the summer season, a time of activity, production, and a large expenditure of energy! Continuing to plow through the fall as though it were still summer simply because the sun is out is unsustainable. Not stopping to “harvest the fruits of our labor” by resting and reflecting can be detrimental to our physical and emotional well-being.
Fall is not just a time to turn back the clock but a time to look back, review and give thanks for all that we have accomplished and all that we have. It is also a time to reflect on what worked this year, what didn’t work and identify the lessons learned throughout the year. This level of reflection then provides the content and motivation for creating a clearly articulated vision and specific goals for the upcoming year.
Claudia, my partner in A Kinder world of Commerce, and I use the exercise below to provide us with the structure and inspiration needed to connect more deeply with ourselves so that we can make empowering and life-affirming choices that support our personal growth and development. It also allows us, regardless of any difficulties or challenges we encountered throughout the year, to end on a high note of gratitude for what was and inspiration for what will be in the new year. We save this exercise as a template and revisit it each fall. We hope this process supports you in your journey to becoming the best version of yourself and making your greatest contribution.
Past Year Reflections:
- What has been the underlying, unifying theme of your year? 2022 has been the year of…
- What is the symbol of your personal journey in 2022? Close your eyes and see what image comes to the forefront. What does it mean to you?
- What are 8 of your greatest successes and miracles of 2022?
- What was a key challenge of this year and what did you discover about yourself in meeting this challenge? What gifts were received?
- What three people had the greatest impact in your life this year? What has their presence stimulated and awakened in you?
- What are three key lessons you’ve learned through your experiences in 2022?
- What are some of the most joyful moments of 2022?
- What “risks” (taking action in the presence of fear) did you take this year? What was the outcome? What did you learn about yourself in taking these risks?
- In what key ways have you been of greater service to your family and/or community this year?
- What are the greatest blessings of 2022? (those people, gifts, experiences, conditions, and insights that fill your heart with gratitude)
Wishing you the openness and willingness to acknowledge your personal harvests as you prepare for the visioning that lies ahead for 2023!