We can feel it in our bones that the fall has come. Not only have we been back in classes for weeks now, but the colors around us have deepened as the deciduous trees have begun their sacred ritual of release. The chill has returned to the air, as has the rain, days of blustery winds, wild waves, and the dramatic contrast of dark clouds against piercing light and stunning sunsets.
If we listen, allowing ourselves to receive their comings and goings, the rhythms of change in the earth’s seasons invite us deeper into our own journeys of growth and transformation. Wild, wise, and profoundly complex, our Mother the earth has much to say to us about hope, about loss, about rest.. about patience, forgiveness, and faithfulness.
And whether we feel awe and gratitude for the earth’s stunning beauty, rejoicing in festivals of pumpkins, cider, and soup… or we feel sadness looming as in the darker, colder, wetter days… or perhaps some mixture of both… the rhythms of the earth will carry us. The day will dawn once again, the rains will water the earth, and the sun will continue to surprise us.
These rhythms in life both soothe and sustain us. Some, like the beating of our hearts and the waves of the sea, remind us to breathe. Similarly, communal rhythms offer rest and containment; reminders that we are connected and held.
Here at The Seattle School, we steward our own collective rhythms as we listen and learn to move together from season to season.
Some of these rhythms are daily: The bells that ring at nine.noon.three; the brewing of coffee; our bodies’ invitations to eat at regular intervals; the faces we see and moments we share in our comings and goings on campus.
Some of these rhythms are weekly: The community newsletter in our inboxes every Monday morning; Communion happens in the chapel at 11:30am every Wednesday, and we meet in classes week to week.
And some rhythms are seasonal: Fall begins with the Welcome Back BBQ, Neighborhood Dinners, Vespers, and Convocation; continues with Thanksgiving Vespers; the Community Christmas Party; winter and spring continue with internships and projects; the Spring Banquet; and Commencement.
Amidst all of these other rhythms, our Student Life Cycle Gatherings offer rhythms of containment that are designed to meet you in your journey as a student at strategic points along the way, allowing space for conversations and connections that will help you orient to resources that are available to you and to the work that is before you. Find more information about these gatherings here.
If you are new to our building, we welcome you and invite you to get cozy with us. We look forward to knowing you and having your presence shape who we are and who we are becoming.
To learn more about community rhythms at The Seattle School, register to join us for Preview on November 2.