The Ninth Key: The Power of Rest and Fallowness

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees

on a Summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the

Clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.”

- John Lubbock

September is here and the days are getting noticeably shorter. Even though the days are still warm in this part of the world, our bodies and minds begin to shift ever so slightly. No longer are the sultry nights filled with sitting out on our front porches drinking iced tea, taking long walks with our dogs, or watching a sunset at 9:00 p.m.

If we pay attention to the sunlight and to nature, we find that September begins to initiate a time of rest and fallowness. A time in which we can get ready for what is next to come in the next season of our lives, in our psyche, in our very beings.

In our Western society, we tend to over value work and we have created ways in which we work all through the long nights. This is especially true in the East coast and in the mid-west where folks are conditioned to work from dawn to dusk.

When we overwork and go against the rhythm of nature, we aren’t able to ground our lives in Nature’s life-giving cycle which actually infuses us with an inner light and an inner strength and vitality. September tells us that rest is valuable and essential to life.

I have pushed myself a lot over the years, and yet, even so, I find that naturally, in September, I begin to go more inward, and notice that I like more time to just rest, be, and to think and plan and meditate. How many of us value this restful and sometimes fallow period? 

As a Chiropractic practitioner, when September rolls around, I frequently find that my clientele shifts. Often, up to a third of my clients go and rest, become well, and leave for varying reasons. This opens up a time for me and my practice. Usually, within one or two months, my practice fills up with new clients and the cycle begins again. During this time, I can just be.  I feel like I have just fertilized my field and my fall garden becomes more vibrant and nutrient filled.

Rest comes in many forms. It could be taking an hour, a day, or a week to hang out at the house, water the flowers, cook healthy meals, ruminate about life, take naps, and just let our thoughts find their own place without any effort. Rest is good for our souls and this fallow period, of just being, is necessary for our growth and our happiness. This month we will explore the Power of Rest as an essential Key to Health, Wholeness, and Vitality.

Small Lifestyle Changes that Promote Big Results:

“Dear tree in front of me. I sit and watch the wind in your branches. I just watch. A hummingbird gently rests on my flower’s petal and flits away. The gnats, attracted by my scent, come and keep me company. I try not to swat but to welcome them. The water from the hose watering my garden keeps my skin cool.

Oh the simple joys of life.”

This above is a simple and playful example of what rest and fallowness can do for us. This is a time to let something new have the time and space to grow inside of us.

Try sitting in a place you enjoy and just write whatever comes into your mind. It could be a poem, a thought, or an idea. Let yourself dream and be at rest and see what happens.

Enjoy your fallow period and feel it helping you to grow and feel the energy it gives you and how it adds to becoming the more vital and healthy and whole person you know you are meant to be.