It really is beautiful.
I had just stepped off the bus and almost gasped at the sight of it. It was like every tree on our street had been christened by Midas.
The sun blinded a path through the maze of red and gold and the song of a breeze played in my ears. My heart beat rapidly when the wind, after having gently massaged my neck, blew a kiss on each cheek and then, racing through every strand of hair, created such an electrifying sensation that I honestly felt I would explode from the sheer excitement of it! Every part of my body felt so alive!
The smell of hickory was so evident that I could almost taste the bark from the trees. Hickory reminds me of the smell from the bonfires we used to have during Homecoming at school. And the flames, hypnotizing me into a sort of inner peace, are the colors of the autumn sky at sunset.
Well, that rather embarrassing and flowery description of my Grandma’s street in St. Louis, Missouri is an actual diary entry I wrote when I was seventeen. I called it “Autumn Ecstasy,” but I suppose “My Big Fat First Orgasm” would have been a more appropriate title because it reads like I was having a big one!
It’s fifty years later, and I consider myself lucky to live in New England, where the earth fans its splendid plumage like a proud peacock.
One of my favorite autumn “temples” is a huge country farm stand in Exeter, Rhode Island. It’s a fun place where you can pick your own pumpkin or take a hayride through the corn maze.
But what I really enjoy is taking a walk through their greenhouse. Talk about color overload!
I was at the farm one day when I got an idea on how we can heal ourselves — and find Peace — with a colorful autumn attunement.
As I walked through the aisles, I decided to focus on the colors of a single flower, plant, fruit or vegetable.
Then I breathed in the color energy, letting the healing rays flow into my heart chakra, and saying an affirmation to myself like:
I am attuned to the color of orange. I feel joy when I see orange.
Here’s a list of all the colors I had experienced at the farm and how they might benefit you, too:
To become more grounded, choose items that are brown (like apple butter, chrysanthemums) or red (like apples, cranberries, Indian corn).
To increase your confidence, choose items that are yellow (like chrysanthemums, corn, squash).
To expand your consciousness, choose items that are purple (like asters, eggplant, grapes, ornamental cabbage, sage).
To manifest abundance, choose items that are gold (like beeswax candles, chrysanthemums, goldenrod, honey).
To attract joy and friendship, choose items that are orange (like carrots, chrysanthemums, pumpkins, zinnias).
For me, autumn is my backdrop for big writing magic. I see stories in the trees, the leaves, the ground, the wind. Writing seems practically effortless and I am grateful for the surge of inspiration I receive. It’s electric.
Yet despite the spectacular colors display, it is easy to view autumn with mixed emotions. Does it represent life decaying or hidden beauty revealed? Is it the last chapter or a new one? An ending or a beginning?
I look at autumn as a time for reflection, for letting go and accepting change, just as we accept that the leaves will change colors and fall from the trees. It’s one thing we can be absolutely sure of.
And we can also be sure that writers will continue to celebrate the season through poetry and prose, following in the vein of Keats and Brontë and Frost. One of my favorite quotes is from George Eliot, the author of Silas Marner and Middlemarch. Here’s what she wrote:
“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”
I love that visual. And you know what? I think there’s a story there!
Is your writing soul affected by the colors of autumn? In this episode, I’ll talk about:
my embarrassing first essay about autumn [1:23]
how to give yourself a personal autumn attunement [3:03]
an autumn writing exercise [7:31]
These books and resources are mentioned in the podcast:
Close your eyes and envision the colors of autumn.
Breathe in the vibrant reds …
Breathe in the brilliant golds …
Breathe in the sunny yellows…
Breathe in the earthy browns …
Breathe in the majestic purples …
Now write the names of these colors and how they make you feel. What do you see when you think of them? Do you associate the color with a particular memory? Is there a specific taste or smell?
To expand this into a gratitude writing exercise, you may wish to write something like: I am grateful for the color brown because…
Thank you for listening to the W R I T E L I G H T E R podcast.
Some episodes may contain excerpts from my book, Write Awake: A Conscious Path to Creativity and Change.
If you would like to learn more about me, my books, workshops, and writing consultations, please visit my website at writelighter.com.
Blessings,
Eleyne-Mari
W R I T E L I G H T E R is a free newsletter and podcast for writers by visionary author Eleyne-Mari Sharp. Subscribe below to receive conscious content about Creativity, Change, and Wellness to help empower your writing and your life!
✨ Ep.2: Ah, Delicious Autumn ✨