Did you know that trees literally cut their leaves off with something called "abscission" cells which has the same root as the word "scissors." This past weekend, I found two leaves in my car and one on me that fell on a table when I sat down. I thought about what all these leaves that are literally falling off of me represented? This image attached came to my mind. As we enter, November and the leaves on the trees (at least here in the Northeast) are showcasing their vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows. The leaves much like us are transforming into the most beautiful phase of their journey. We tend to find the hard parts of ourselves or the dark situations we have gone through to be ugly...but what if viewed them like the leaves. That the real beauty is in the transformation. The alchemy pushes us to dig deep within our roots, finding nourishment from within. Did you know that the leaves provide water, nourishment for the tree and then when they are no longer needed, the tree literally cuts the leaves off. Not the wind or a storm, but rather the process and timing. What if we could see how we coped at the time was the nourishment we needed at that time? We can let go of shame if we can view ourselves like a leaf. The letting go can feel like a leaf falling to the ground, twisting and turning in the air, until all at once it is gone. New space is given allowing you to move gently through the next season. Nature is one of our greatest teachers. Once, we transform and shed our old self, our old coping mechanisms, we can see that at that time it helped us survive and now we must let her go, shed it and begin again.