Living Library · Now at DojoNovember:
November:
the olives.
In late autumn the olives on our trees are picked, and the oil we cook with all year is pressed. A season of gathering, and of letting the branches go light.
A practice for the season
What are you gathering?
Picking olives is slow work with the hands. Branch by branch, until the tree is lighter. Take ten minutes for the same rhythm with your year.
- Hands. Sit or stand. Open your hands, palms up. Feel their weight, and the air on them.
- Gathering. Name, one by one, what this year has given you. Small things count. Let each one land in your hands before the next.
- The tree. Now notice what you are still carrying that is ready to be let go. You don't need to do anything with it yet. Only name it.
- Lighter. Let your hands rest. Notice your breath, and how your body feels after naming both.
To carry this month
What is ripe in your life right now, ready to be gathered?
Through the year
The land changes, and so do we.
Winter
Rest, and the pruning of the olive trees.
To comeSpring
To be written with you, from what happens on the land.
To comeSummer
To be written with you.
To comeAutumn
The olive harvest.
Now