The shadows are disappearing from my Soul. Finally. They’re sliding off like old skin, turning to dust. They’re evaporating in the bright Sun of my inner being. As Nature sheds off its summer garments, we are offered an opportunity to do the same. It’s a cleansing rite, but of a different kind then in the Spring.

In Autumn, it’s about purifying our sensibilities along with the accompanying emotions. We can see through the fluff into the bare structure, and into the very core. We are invited to hand-pick the sensations and perceptions that contain true substance. And transform them into refined feelings to add to the essence of who we are. This process requires patience and discernment. We need to slow down, allowing the higher level thinking to arise in meditation and contemplation.

Anything not pure enough will be rejected by the barriers, safeguarding our innermost sanctum. But beware: If you neglect to engage in this Soul cleansing, the protective membrane will thicken into a rugged wall, making it difficult, if not almost impossible, to access your true self. Or perhaps that has already happened. Yet, your angst, raging within, is urging you to reconnect again with your essence. Don’t despair. You can still find a way back in. It may take longer. It may be painful. But once you cut through the thorny brambles around your own castle, and burn them, they won’t grow back, as long as you continue to nourish your Soul light with love, beauty, and goodness.

The ripened fruits of thinking

flourish in the sunlight of my soul;

the flow of feeling is transformed

to conscious self-assurance.

I can perceive now joyfully

the autumn’s spirit-waking:

the winter will arouse in me

the summer of the soul.

~ Weekly Verse 30 by Rudolf Steiner from The Calendar of the Soul
(trans. Ruth & Hans Pusch, with a slight revision by Marta Stemberger)

As I contemplated the Steiner’s words, and digested them through my own life experiences, the following poem arose:

I contemplate in peace and quiet.

Healthy thought patterns emerge.

I enter my inner most sanctum,

I grow into conscious self-assurance.

Refined feelings glow in joy.

The Fall awakens Spirit thinking:

In solitude, I nourish my Soul’s fire

to shine the Truth among the people.

~ Soulful Spark 30 by Marta Stemberger

As we gather the fruits of the Summer, and carefully store only the best for the Winter months, so we do with our inner work. Slowly, practicing year after year, we may gain mastery to be able to create a wonderful, bright and warm space within that will sustain us through any harshness we may encounter. Fine-tuned higher level thinking may enable us to furnish our Soul’s chambers with refined feelings and sensibilities to help us live in true Light of the Spirit.

---

Over to you, dear Soulful Reader:

HOW DO YOU ACCESS AND NOURISH THE INNERMOST SANCTUM OF YOUR SOUL?

I invite you to share your thoughts + impressions below.

---

Treat yourself to insightful name analysis…

---