Autumn Equinox Essence​
​Tuesday, September 22, 2020; 9:31a.m.

What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen? If an image comes to mind, embrace it, take a deep, wide look at it, and rest on it for a while.

Your appreciation and embrace of beauty are acts of will. They will transform the way you move through autumn’s wave to the next shore. No matter what else is going on in your life, if beauty is a constant beacon in the depths of your heart and mind, your trip from here to there will be beautiful and productive.

Why is this so important? Notice Lung and Large Intestine Essences. These two essences form the metal element in Chinese medicine, and metal is the element of Autumn.

When I think of the metal element, I always think of the Great Mother, whose job it is to tend to us during times of transition. She knows our beauty. She knows our purpose. She carries us from realm to realm on waves of Love. She brings us into life and out of it again. She tends to us in transitions big and small. Beauty is her calling card. Wherever we experience beauty, we are experiencing the presence of the Great Mother and we know she is orchestrating our movement.

​

Our job in times of transition is to tend to our attention. Read the definitions of Lung and Large Intestine again. They talk of monitoring our shame, judgment and our fear of change. They talk of attending to the quality of care we give ourselves — both tender and fierce — when we are dealing with what is before us at any given moment. Directing our attention is our most important job.

What is in front of us now, in this time of immense change, feels like the unknown. But I contend that the unknown in front of us right now is Love, a deeper, broader, more participatory form of Love than most of us have experienced. I’m not talking about Hallmark Love. I’m talking about fierce, trusting, magnanimous, healing, rectifying Love. This is the Love of the Great Mother, and we have a choice to turn our attention to her presence or to turn toward the spirit of fear. Our choice.

But know this: when you let beauty form your lifeline as you move forward — when you train yourself to look for beauty throughout the day — you are inviting the transformative power of Love to define all of your relationships.

---

One last thing. Harnessing the will of beauty can be tricky. Fear beckons us to ally ourselves with the power of our intellects and the comfortable habits that keep us separated from the true beauty of ourselves and our world.

So, here is how to take the essence: I suggest taking it once a day just to welcome in the autumn and let Life know you are committed to participating. I also suggest taking the essence when you are confronted with strong and ugly emotions. Welcome that emotion into your body, take the essence, and simply hold your attention on yourself. Wait for a hint of beauty to pop to the surface.

Your job is to keep your mind out of the process. Let yourself feel. Let yourself open to whatever emotion has come your way. Trust that you are sturdy enough to maintain your structural integrity even during an emotional whirlwind. When you do that, your body and the helpers around you will be able to remove what is ready to be removed and leave you enhanced by Love and Beauty.

​Here, again, is the link to the essence.

Thank you and wishing you lots of love this fall,

Therese