October's Gentle Surrender
October 2025
October's Gentle Surrender
October 2025
October's Gentle Surrender
October 2025
By Maude Harrison-Hudson, M.Div.
By Maude Harrison-Hudson, M.Div.
By Maude Harrison-Hudson, M.Div.
October carries a quiet beauty. The air sharpens, leaves turn brilliant shades of amber and crimson, and the ground begins to gather what trees no longer need. Nature reminds us that letting go is not failure: it is part of the rhythm of life. This season offers us wisdom for our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being if we pause long enough to notice.
The Physical Body: What We Hold, What We Release
Our bodies carry so much. Stress tightens in our shoulders, grief lingers in our chest, and exhaustion often shows itself in the heaviness of our limbs. In October, the shorter days and cooler air invite us to slow down. It is a good time to listen to what the body is asking us to let go of.
For some, it may mean releasing patterns that no longer nourish, late-night snacking, skipping rest, and pushing the body beyond its limits. Letting go may also mean adjusting expectations: recognizing that the body in autumn may need more rest than it did in summer.
Our small act of letting go might be choosing warm, seasonal foods that comfort and strengthen rather than drain. Or it could be allowing the body to stop striving for “perfect health” and instead embracing gentle practices: a daily walk, a warm bath, or an earlier bedtime.
Letting go in the body is not about giving up. It is about honoring the truth of what we need now.
The Mind: Releasing the Clutter
If our homes gather clutter, so do our minds. October is a season to clear mental space. Just as trees shed their leaves, we too can shed thoughts that weigh us down.
This may mean letting go of resentment that loops endlessly. It may mean setting down self-criticism or the expectation that we should have figured out every answer by now. When the mind is too crowded, it’s hard to see clearly.
Practical tools help: journaling to name what troubles us, practicing silence to let the mind rest, or limiting exposure to constant news and noise. Each act of mental decluttering is like taking a pile of leaves and creating space where we can breathe again.
Letting go in the mind is choosing clarity over chaos, peace over perfection.
The Spirit: Trusting in Surrender
Spiritually, October whispers the truth that life is a cycle of holding and releasing. The trees do not cling to their leaves out of fear. They trust that in letting go, new life will come in its season.
We often resist this kind of surrender. We cling to control, to certainty, to relationships or situations long past their time. But the spiritual life asks us to practice trust: to open our hands to release what no longer serves us and to believe that God, or grace, or life itself will provide.
In my own journey, letting go has meant loosening the silence I was raised in, no longer fixing my face to hide emotions, but allowing honesty to shine through. It has meant surrendering alcohol and food as numbing tools, learning instead to let God hold my pain. It has meant releasing loved ones to death with both tears and gratitude.
Spiritual well-being grows when we trust that letting go is not emptiness but holy ground. We surrender not to nothingness but to the One who sustains us.
Practicing Letting Go in October
- Take a walk among the leaves. With each step, imagine something you no longer need falling away, a fear, a resentment, or a burden.
- Breathe with intention. As you exhale, silently say, I release. As you inhale, say I receive.
- Clean a corner of your home. Let physical decluttering mirror the inner work.
- Pray or journal about surrender. Ask: What am I being invited to release this season?
- Practice kindness toward your body. Choose one nourishing act each day as a way to honor your physical well-being.
Closing Reflection
October is a teacher we are willing to learn. It tells us that the beauty of life often comes just before the falling away. It reminds us that rest, surrender, and release are not signs of weakness but of wisdom.
As you move through this month, may you find the courage to let go where you need to, the clarity to see what is worth keeping, and the faith to trust that what is released makes room for new life to come.
Closing Prayer
Creator of Seasons,
Teach me to let go with grace.
When my body is weary, help me release striving.
When my mind is cluttered, help me clear space.
When my spirit clings, help me trust in surrender.
May I learn from the trees—
That release is not the end,
But the beginning of a new life that is waiting to be born.
October carries a quiet beauty. The air sharpens, leaves turn brilliant shades of amber and crimson, and the ground begins to gather what trees no longer need. Nature reminds us that letting go is not failure: it is part of the rhythm of life. This season offers us wisdom for our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being if we pause long enough to notice.
The Physical Body: What We Hold, What We Release
Our bodies carry so much. Stress tightens in our shoulders, grief lingers in our chest, and exhaustion often shows itself in the heaviness of our limbs. In October, the shorter days and cooler air invite us to slow down. It is a good time to listen to what the body is asking us to let go of.
For some, it may mean releasing patterns that no longer nourish, late-night snacking, skipping rest, and pushing the body beyond its limits. Letting go may also mean adjusting expectations: recognizing that the body in autumn may need more rest than it did in summer.
Our small act of letting go might be choosing warm, seasonal foods that comfort and strengthen rather than drain. Or it could be allowing the body to stop striving for “perfect health” and instead embracing gentle practices: a daily walk, a warm bath, or an earlier bedtime.
Letting go in the body is not about giving up. It is about honoring the truth of what we need now.
The Mind: Releasing the Clutter
If our homes gather clutter, so do our minds. October is a season to clear mental space. Just as trees shed their leaves, we too can shed thoughts that weigh us down.
This may mean letting go of resentment that loops endlessly. It may mean setting down self-criticism or the expectation that we should have figured out every answer by now. When the mind is too crowded, it’s hard to see clearly.
Practical tools help: journaling to name what troubles us, practicing silence to let the mind rest, or limiting exposure to constant news and noise. Each act of mental decluttering is like taking a pile of leaves and creating space where we can breathe again.
Letting go in the mind is choosing clarity over chaos, peace over perfection.
The Spirit: Trusting in Surrender
Spiritually, October whispers the truth that life is a cycle of holding and releasing. The trees do not cling to their leaves out of fear. They trust that in letting go, new life will come in its season.
We often resist this kind of surrender. We cling to control, to certainty, to relationships or situations long past their time. But the spiritual life asks us to practice trust: to open our hands to release what no longer serves us and to believe that God, or grace, or life itself will provide.
In my own journey, letting go has meant loosening the silence I was raised in, no longer fixing my face to hide emotions, but allowing honesty to shine through. It has meant surrendering alcohol and food as numbing tools, learning instead to let God hold my pain. It has meant releasing loved ones to death with both tears and gratitude.
Spiritual well-being grows when we trust that letting go is not emptiness but holy ground. We surrender not to nothingness but to the One who sustains us.
Practicing Letting Go in October
- Take a walk among the leaves. With each step, imagine something you no longer need falling away, a fear, a resentment, or a burden.
- Breathe with intention. As you exhale, silently say, I release. As you inhale, say I receive.
- Clean a corner of your home. Let physical decluttering mirror the inner work.
- Pray or journal about surrender. Ask: What am I being invited to release this season?
- Practice kindness toward your body. Choose one nourishing act each day as a way to honor your physical well-being.
Closing Reflection
October is a teacher we are willing to learn. It tells us that the beauty of life often comes just before the falling away. It reminds us that rest, surrender, and release are not signs of weakness but of wisdom.
As you move through this month, may you find the courage to let go where you need to, the clarity to see what is worth keeping, and the faith to trust that what is released makes room for new life to come.
Closing Prayer
Creator of Seasons,
Teach me to let go with grace.
When my body is weary, help me release striving.
When my mind is cluttered, help me clear space.
When my spirit clings, help me trust in surrender.
May I learn from the trees—
That release is not the end,
But the beginning of a new life that is waiting to be born.
October carries a quiet beauty. The air sharpens, leaves turn brilliant shades of amber and crimson, and the ground begins to gather what trees no longer need. Nature reminds us that letting go is not failure: it is part of the rhythm of life. This season offers us wisdom for our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being if we pause long enough to notice.
The Physical Body: What We Hold, What We Release
Our bodies carry so much. Stress tightens in our shoulders, grief lingers in our chest, and exhaustion often shows itself in the heaviness of our limbs. In October, the shorter days and cooler air invite us to slow down. It is a good time to listen to what the body is asking us to let go of.
For some, it may mean releasing patterns that no longer nourish, late-night snacking, skipping rest, and pushing the body beyond its limits. Letting go may also mean adjusting expectations: recognizing that the body in autumn may need more rest than it did in summer.
Our small act of letting go might be choosing warm, seasonal foods that comfort and strengthen rather than drain. Or it could be allowing the body to stop striving for “perfect health” and instead embracing gentle practices: a daily walk, a warm bath, or an earlier bedtime.
Letting go in the body is not about giving up. It is about honoring the truth of what we need now.
The Mind: Releasing the Clutter
If our homes gather clutter, so do our minds. October is a season to clear mental space. Just as trees shed their leaves, we too can shed thoughts that weigh us down.
This may mean letting go of resentment that loops endlessly. It may mean setting down self-criticism or the expectation that we should have figured out every answer by now. When the mind is too crowded, it’s hard to see clearly.
Practical tools help: journaling to name what troubles us, practicing silence to let the mind rest, or limiting exposure to constant news and noise. Each act of mental decluttering is like taking a pile of leaves and creating space where we can breathe again.
Letting go in the mind is choosing clarity over chaos, peace over perfection.
The Spirit: Trusting in Surrender
Spiritually, October whispers the truth that life is a cycle of holding and releasing. The trees do not cling to their leaves out of fear. They trust that in letting go, new life will come in its season.
We often resist this kind of surrender. We cling to control, to certainty, to relationships or situations long past their time. But the spiritual life asks us to practice trust: to open our hands to release what no longer serves us and to believe that God, or grace, or life itself will provide.
In my own journey, letting go has meant loosening the silence I was raised in, no longer fixing my face to hide emotions, but allowing honesty to shine through. It has meant surrendering alcohol and food as numbing tools, learning instead to let God hold my pain. It has meant releasing loved ones to death with both tears and gratitude.
Spiritual well-being grows when we trust that letting go is not emptiness but holy ground. We surrender not to nothingness but to the One who sustains us.
Practicing Letting Go in October
- Take a walk among the leaves. With each step, imagine something you no longer need falling away, a fear, a resentment, or a burden.
- Breathe with intention. As you exhale, silently say, I release. As you inhale, say I receive.
- Clean a corner of your home. Let physical decluttering mirror the inner work.
- Pray or journal about surrender. Ask: What am I being invited to release this season?
- Practice kindness toward your body. Choose one nourishing act each day as a way to honor your physical well-being.
Closing Reflection
October is a teacher we are willing to learn. It tells us that the beauty of life often comes just before the falling away. It reminds us that rest, surrender, and release are not signs of weakness but of wisdom.
As you move through this month, may you find the courage to let go where you need to, the clarity to see what is worth keeping, and the faith to trust that what is released makes room for new life to come.
Closing Prayer
Creator of Seasons,
Teach me to let go with grace.
When my body is weary, help me release striving.
When my mind is cluttered, help me clear space.
When my spirit clings, help me trust in surrender.
May I learn from the trees—
That release is not the end,
But the beginning of a new life that is waiting to be born.