October is one of my favorite months of the year. Surrounded by beauty, a few frosty mornings, and the chill in the air at night, I feel rejuvenated and alive. I don't think any month of the year makes me feel quite the way October and the change to autumn do.
Traditionally, October is a time of harvest. It is a time of change, death and sleep. Everything on this Earth happens in cycles and all is a part of a constant circle of events. Like people and animals, the trees and plants go through a cycle of birth, growth, regeneration and, ultimately, death. In the fall, the death of the leaves on the trees is a symbolic death, as we know most of the trees will make it through their hibernation to bloom again in the spring. We know that the trees have dropped their fruits, seeds, and acorns to the ground in order for new infant trees to come up in the spring as well.
Is this why we consider the process of the death of flowers, harvesting of crops, and hibernation of trees to be beautiful while many fear (or at least hold anxiety for) their own human deaths?
We know that death is inevitable, that it is a part of the great cycle of life. Yet, many of us do not like to think about the possibility of our own sad demise. Many even search for an answer about death throughout their lives in an attempt to understand the process.
I have an inkling that the natural death of the body of a person or animal cannot be less than a beautiful thing when I look around in nature in October. The symbolic death and regeneration that happens in the cycle of the Earth is not just beautiful, it is miraculous. It may actually be a great blessing and treasure to be part of what comes naturally to our world.
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