Slowly responding to the growing night, the temperatures of late summer are cooling. The days are noticeably shorter and the summer crops are passing into fall. While tomatoes and corn are still present, long-lasting storage crops—potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, pumpkins, onions and others—are filling the rows at the produce auction and our Farmers Market. In a blessing of nature, the early spring crops of berries and asparagus are fragile and quickly make way for later harvests, but the harvests of late summer and fall keep well in unheated cellars and can provide food for us during the cold, dark months of winter.

Preparing for the changing season is a way of life for people who live close to the Earth. I recall a fall equinox gathering decades ago where we sat in a circle on a grassy field in the declining light and a woman encouraged us to think of the animals of the woods while they faced bitter cold, darkness and hunger in the upcoming months. The ebbing light was a reminder of the dark times to come and the importance of preparing for them.

For our autumn equinox meal, we will have a dinner of local late summer crops—including late season heirloom corn, tomatoes, and apple tart for dessert— and open a robust porter that goes with the cooler weather. We hope to share the meal with friends—a couple who run a microbrewery and have two young children. As part of their business and family life, they seek local sourcing and sustainability and have been part of the food club for years. They have had success and outgrown their house on our street and are moving to a larger home for themselves and their children. On the next day, we plan to can tomatoes bought at the auction for use during the approaching fall and winter. It is a time of reflection on good fortune and preparation for the time to come.

In the larger human world, the strife and strains of conflict and hostility continue as always, with the structures built by money-chasers, violent men and puritans doling out winners and losers for all sides. Emotions run high and blame and accusations of the worst in ones enemies are commonplace. In the millennia of patriarchy, spiritual corruption has been commonplace and hierarchies have protected men from the consequences of their acts. Reading the laws of the past is shocking and sometimes horrifying; acts that we now consider crimes have often been a privilege of those with power-over-others. Sadly, the tragedies of our modern history are not new.

Common people like myself are often encouraged to support “our” side and think the worst of our neighbors who have other views and traditions, even though we all share both virtues and failings, as all people I know do. The question in the darkening days is not only about the larger world but also about preserving ourselves in our personal world. No matter the short-term outcome, the problems and crises of our unbalanced and chaotic human world will continue. Self-preservation is a central part of life; ignoring our need for it brings suffering not only to us, but also to all who love us.

For our lives to work, we need to care for our own emotional and physical needs. This is especially true during stressful times and extremely important for sensitive people. Near the beginning of Source for Sensitive People, it says to “Begin all growth by nourishing yourself.”

Some of the suggestions for caring for ourselves include:

“Start the day with 20-30 minutes doing something you enjoy

“Build exercise into your daily life (example: walk to work)

“Laugh every day (example: watch comedies on TV and the internet)

“Have quiet time to seek inner peace

“Do something special at least once a month

“Celebrate life whenever possible (examples: birthdays, holidays, anniversaries)

“Take time off from focusing on stressful events in your life and the outside world.”

It can be very hard to care for ourselves when we are preoccupied with stressful events and responsibilities around us and in the outside world. Though it is not our tendency, the more stressful the outside world and our lives are, the more important it is that we take time off from those stresses and strains and celebrate the good things in our personal life.

Taking time off from the media, including news fasts, and doing something enjoyable—listening to pleasant music, walking in a natural area, visiting with a good friend, or enjoying a healthy meal—is the best way to make it possible for you to help others by caring for yourself. A key focus for our lives must be the needs of the people we love and ourselves. If we care for those we love and ourselves in our daily life, we can create a stable center from which we can influence the world around us for the better. That center needs nourishing most of all as the days darken.