Ancient people recognized that the Autumn season is a time of mystery, as the days get shorter and twilight and darkness increase. It was seen as a time when the veil between this world and the spiritual world was thinner, enveloped into the Christian tradition in the commemorations of Halloween and All Saints and All Souls. Nature, one of our best teachers, shows us by the brilliant colors and falling leaves how beautiful is this in-between time, and how letting go of the ways things have been is an essential part of our life’s journey.
Autumn is a deepening season, in which we celebrate the brilliance and fullness of the season’s glory while our awareness moves to the transience of life on Earth. The beauty of the leaves’ colors and briskness of air enliven, even as we watch the leaves brown and fall to the ground. Autumn communicates many lessons to the soul…some love the season and others struggle with it. A primary lesson embodied by the Autumn season is that we think that holding on makes us strong; but often it is letting go. Autumn is an invitation to reflect on both beauty and impermanence, and their place in our spiritual landscape. Our day will include prayer and creative reflection in solitude, in the group and in nature (weather-permitting). Lunch is also included. Guided by Amy Kulesa.
Amy Sorensen Kulesa serves as the Director of Associates for the Sisters of Bon Secours, USA. She earned a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Master of Social Work from Rutgers University. She is a graduate of the Epiphany Certification Program from the Epiphany Academy of Formative Spirituality in Pittsburgh, PA, and a graduate of the Bon Secours Spiritual Direction Institute. A Secular Franciscan, she offers spiritual direction and enjoys facilitating retreats in which participants have the opportunity to discern the narrative of their own lives within the larger story of God’s abundant healing, grace and mercy.