Dreaming into the Seasons Recap: Dreaming into Autumn Walk: The Nature of Thresholds
Our small group of amazing women were blessed by gorgeous October weather and a pair of swans on our leisurely 4 mile autumn hike in Carmel Central Park. It was a perfect day to dream into Nature’s messages.
We began our morning with introductions and an invocation about the nature of thresholds in nature and in our personal lives with words by John O’ Donohue, from his book, To Bless the Space Between Us. Participants were asked to ponder these words during our like.
“The word threshold was related to the word thresh, which was the separation of the grain from the husk or straw when oats were flailed. It also includes the notions of entrance, crossing, border, and beginnings. To cross a threshold is to leave behind the husk and arrive at the grain.” (p. 193)
As we stepped through the enchanted thresholds that open to the colorful season of change, we found awe-inspiring scenery around a fertile reflective pond, meadows of native grasses and winding forest-bathed paths. We searched for the homes of woodpeckers, encountering a pileated woodpecker in the east side of the park. (Jennifer had the camera in her hands for this remarkable photo. She saw it first.) A large variety of mushrooms growing from wooded forest floors dotted the wild areas, including turkey tails, stump puffballs, and several slimy bracket mushrooms. The yellow-centered purple New England asters and delicate yellow wildflowers had begun wilting, but we still took photos.
We ended our time together by sharing new understandings of threshold moments inspired by the magic of this remarkable park’s everyday dreams. A special thank you to Jennifer Foley and the Balanced Soul for sponsoring this autumn walk. Look for future seasonal walks coming soon.
Gallery from the Walk
