What Autumn Can Teach in This Year of Pandemic

Autumn

The leaves are falling, falling as if from far up,
As if orchards were dying high in space.
Each leaf falls as if it were motioning “no”.

And tonight the heavy earth is falling
Away from all the other stars in the loneliness.

And yet there is Someone, whose hands
Infinitely calm, holding up all this falling.

Rainer Maria Rilke 

We’ve just lived a year like none other. We’ve experienced friends and family who have fallen, like the leaves around us, with virus, a lost job, or a darkened spirit at the pain of the world.

While autumn reflects nature’s transitioning decline, it’s also a season of hope. Seeds are planted and leaves are composted to prepare for a new season of growth and green. And, in the midst of the falling comes a celebration of Thanksgiving.

Presenter Susan Packard will spend a few minutes on how autumn is a beautiful allegory for the spiritual journey, and finding how we’re meant to belong to the world.

She needs your help with this interactive workshop. She would like your stories, fashioned around any of these questions:

• • What are your happiest memories of autumn?
  • Has this pandemic year shaped you into something new—new work, new relationships, new purpose?
  • Where have you found light and hope?

For those in 12 Step Recovery, November teaches us the value of meditation which is captured in Step 11. Susan invites all in 12 Step Recovery, and other friends too living toward fully human recovery, to join together for this workshop.

She will teach, read some of your stories, and will lead a session of Centering Prayer meditation, including instruction for beginners.

While there is no charge for attending this event, we suggest a donation of $70
to St. Mary’s Sewanee to cover the costs and support the work of the retreat center. 

This event takes place via Zoom; to participate, you must have internet access and a computer or tablet with an internet connection. You will receive additional information, including the Zoom link, at least 48 hours before the beginning of the event.