In the northern hemisphere, October sings a song.
If you listen deeply, you will hear it.
It sounds like the Beatles’ song, “Let It Be,” with just a one-word change.
The trees sing it, the plants sing it, the birds sing it, the flowers sing it, and the wind sings it.
They all sing “Let It Go.”
Not “let it go” as a sad, lonely idea, but “let it go” as a beautiful explosion of color and textures.
We think letting go is hard because we are used to holding on.
We work to hold on to things.
Ideas. Stuff. People. Memories. Emotions.
We work hard to remain still and stationary despite thinking we are progressing when there is always that last little hold-on that we maintain.
At least once a year, I go into closets, storage boxes, drawers—wherever stuff collects—and take out what I don’t need. Every year, there are a few things that I pick up, look at, and realize I don’t need it, but I still can’t let it go and put it back.
Someday, I will let it go, I tell myself.
I have no idea when that someday will be.
I think it has to do with thinking that if I let it go, I won’t remember the event it represents, or if I let it go, I might need it someday.
Nature doesn’t think that way.
One of October’s joys is watching the trees let go in their unique, spectacular way and personal timing.
They sing and let go.
They have faith.
They know that although each year is different, they always have what they need.
They know that Life is not what is held onto but what is expressed.
They know that Life is continuous, although Its forms may change.
The Iroquois teach the idea of the Field of Plenty. When the Great Mystery created the world, everything that would ever exist was created as ideas. This nonphysical plane of awareness is eternal. One can draw on it whenever needed by calling on it with a grateful heart.
The law of energy conservation in physics explains that all the energy that will ever be is created, and although it changes forms, it never leaves.
Many of us learned it this way: “Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear.” - Isaiah 65:24
This is all saying the same thing.
What we see as a material presence are symbols—not the substance of Life but Its expression.
The things I can let go of may remain for another year or two, but I let go of more each year.
Every day, I attempt to let go of thoughts, planning, emotions, and memories that keep me from feeling the internal and eternal silence of the Field of Plenty.
Each October reminds us to be more like trees—more rooted, more aware of when to bloom and let go, and more like trees that unconditionally supply us with beauty and substance.
Each tree is unique yet an essential thread in the tapestry of life—just like you and me.
We are unique, beautiful in our unique way, and supplied with what we need before we need it.
It’s the song of nature, easily heard in October.
Let it Go,” another way of saying, “Let It Be.”