AUTUMN DIGNITY

I'm very much into Qigong these days, which is a Chinese system of harmonizing movement and breathing. I find that Qigong works really well with Yiddishkeit, helping me not only to keep my body healthy but also to remain grounded and positive, which in turns works wonders for my connection wtih Hashem 

A very important feature of Qigong is being attuned to the seasons. Right now we're in the season of Autumn, whose main characteristics in Qigong are letting go, grief, appreciation and dignity. Now, the first two aren't surprising. In Autumn, it seems like everything is dying and decaying, so letting go of the summer bounty is often accompanied by grief, or at least by sadness. Spiritually, we go through Autumn every time we sustain a loss, and here grief is even more appropriate

But what about the other two qualities? Here we have to remember that Autumn is only one of the seasons, leading the way to Winter and, ultimately, Spring. In order to rebuild when the time comes, we need to focus not only on grieving for what is lost, but, even more so, on the appreciation for what is still here.  As long as we're alive, what is lost is never the core of our being but rather something extraneous, regardless of how important it used to be. This realization that our inner essence is still intact is what makes an enormously painful loss bearable. Likewise, it is the appreciation for our core that will allow us to turn a page and grow new wings.

If a bare autumn tree perceives itself as a worthless nothing, bereft of its very essence, it won't have what it takes to become beautiful and magnificent in spring.