10 Weeks of Word Oracles - Fall

© 2010 by Joyce Mason
All Rights Reserved

Fall is one of the more versatile words in the English language! Just off the top of my head, it can mean any of the following:

• My favorite season, autumn, which also has falling leaves, where I assume it got this nickname.

• Fall as in “go boom” or splat on the floor or ground. Not as pretty, unless it’s a pretty girl fallen in fall leaves, like in the one in the picture in this post.

• “The Fall” – The Bibilical fall of man when Adam and Eve disobeyed divine direction and ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

• Water that cascades off tall rocks down to a river or rivulet

• A fake woman’s hairpiece

• In astrology, a planet is “in fall” when it is in the sign opposite where it is considered exalted. Example from my own chart: Mars is considered exalted in Capricorn; mine is in the opposite sign, Cancer, therefore it’s in fall. I’ve never found this concept very useful. It implies there’s something wrong with my planet that’s in fall. I actually like my Mars in Cancer that’s action-oriented toward making comfortable surroundings for people, and as much as possible, making family of everyone.

Welcome to #2 in a series of 10 words drawn as oracles—spirited topics to ponder drawn just for our Hot/Cool community. Visit the post for Word Oracle #1 (Upper) for the history on why we’re playing with words for ten posts.

Let’s focus on Fall as Autumn—the season we enter on September 22!

First, I want to share with you an autumn “astrologize” I wrote for Spirited Woman blog. Astrologizes are exercises, rituals, or activities to celebrate the changing seasons as the Sun moves through each of the signs of the zodiac. Four times a year, we reach the seasonal cusps. Spring occurs as the Sun enters Aries; summer starts with Cancer; Libra initiates autumn, and Capricorn heralds winter. This "astrologize" for autumn has to do with expressing our gratitude for the harvest of our blessings.

If you don’t have time to do the gratitude box suggested in the astrologize post, let’s take five to do a combo meditation on gratitude and the word “fall.” All truths will be revealed in our oracle word and the Hot Flashbacks alternative to the astrologize combined!


Meditation and Journaling on Fall

Sit quietly in a meditative posture, whatever one works for you. Have pen and paper nearby.

1. Take three deep breaths. Say “fall” to yourself. Let it rest on your mind, then let your mind speak. What does the word fall mean to you? Take plenty of time to let the thoughts form or memories come back to you. Let your memories or thoughts finish speaking. When they are done saying what they have to say, write down their message.
   
2. Return to meditation. Read this thought, and then sit with it in the silence for as long as it feels right: I am thankful for my reverie on “fall” and everything I learned from it.
   
3.  Now let’s focus for a moment on fall as autumn, the season of gratitude: I am grateful for ___. (Make as long a list in your mind as you want.) I will practice living gratefully every day by doing the following ___________.
   
4. When you come out of meditation, look at what you wrote about “fall” and how you’ll create an ongoing attitude of gratitude—a thankfulness practice. Take some time to contemplate it. Carry these thoughts and intentions into your week. Learn as much as possible about your relationship to fall. Write a few wrap-up notes before the end of the week and our next word.

May every fall down help you look up with a different perspective. May every season of gratitude bring you more in your cornucopia and a longer list of blessings.

~~~

Next week’s word: Slice

Photo credit: Young Woman in Fall Leaves © Pinkcandy Dreamstime

Reader Feedback Wanted: Let me know your thoughts on the Word Oracle series.