Even though winter has arrived, and there is much beauty to share, it is the blowing of the leaves in the sky that captivated my thoughts recently. While watching them, a new understanding came to me, one that I would like to share. So, for now, this blog is one more piece about leaves ....

While watching the wild ride of late Autumn oak leaves swirling in the air, I felt something I had never noticed before ~ that the air was vibrating, and doing so not only from the surges of wind, but also from the leaves that the wind carries. The release of the leaf transferred energy into the atmosphere like like the latent heat transfer of evaporation of a liquid, or of laughter into the air, when a tree releases a part of ki-self, energy is also liberated. In letting the leaf go, the tree offers a gift of energy into the world. The release provides something more than we see and that something is a gift to the universe.

Then this understanding came ~ Those leaves that lie so soft on the roots of the earth, are not the same things as the crunchy duff they will become in a few days. AHA! ~ the leaves falling in the wind, continue to carry the essence of life for a few more hours as they lay themselves in the arms of Mother Earth. They are still alive.

Wow, after centuries of collecting, watching and loving leaves, I am now able to see that the newly fallen leaf I hold in my hand, also holds a little piece of the magnificent life of the dear tree from which it fell.

No wonder, I have collected, revered, treasured autumn leaves for so long.

I collect these leaves every year, without fail. I gather them reverently, wonderingly, marveling at each piece, as a lover holds onto the gifts of her beloved, treasuring, holding them as reminders of times when they will meet again. Perhaps, I sense a lesson that it can teach, or a gift it has to offer and like a crow drawn to the sparkle, have picked it up to store in my nest.

What is this magic it has to teach me? Perhaps the gift is the the magic of release, and beauty of letting go. That in releasing the beauty of the summer, we liberate energy for new life.

If I could capture in a sentence the lesson from the leaves before me today, perhaps it would like a little like this

Oak- to help, assist in the path of releasing unneeded burdens, releasing the need to be strong
Maples- to assist the release of anything that is prevents the experience of joy.
Beech_ Holding our hands to assist in the release of belief in separateness.

What a sparkling treasure indeed!

Now, when I hold a newly fallen leaf, I can hold the treasure with even more gratitude, receive the tree's gift of life shining through the leaf, and then let it change me, like an alchemist changing lead into gold.