Late Autumn Brings a Sadness That Manifests a Hint of the Divine Sadness

 

In a few weeks, we will have some autumn color here on the Plains and in the adjacent foothills, but I have to admit that I always feel a bit sad at first when the aspen leaves fall in the high country.

Such sadness, however, is not a bad thing; after all, the Latin word "satis" lies at the root of our English words for both sadness AND satisfaction. Sadness shows that we are truly alive, and it also puts us in touch with a hint of the DIVINE sadness. As my mentor Thomas Keating often told me, God - the Ultimate Mystery - apologizes to us in the Cross for the fact that we sentient beings live in such a difficult predicament. For the cosmos can only exist in a situation where opposites reveal opposites. For example, without the feeling of non-union, the Divine in us could never know union; and without sadness, joy could never manifest itself. It is the same with all of the other qualities we appreciate so much in this life. In this season of late autumn, may we learn to value both yin and yang qualities as parts of a greater Whole.

Photos: (Top) Flattop Mountain, Flattops Wilderness, CO, October 5, 2014; (Middle) Stream and Wild Rose leaf in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO, October 4, 2014; (Bottom ) Snow-covered peak in the Never Summer Range, CO, October 2, 2014