season
Autumn Wishes
Leaves may be falling in the northern realms at this time of the year, but if you can still see the ground there is Fall gardening to be done. While there are some plants that thrive in this time of the “dying year”, there are many other plants that will need to be rescued before the first frost comes to take them away and that is where you will be busy with Fall gardening. Get out your gloves and get ready because you need to prepare your garden for the long winter months ahead.
Life is full of changes. We have choices in our attitude about the changes. We can look forward to each one with great expectations of wonderful new paths, or we can look with dread at our lives becoming different. Continue reading
The Vital Energy Of The Sun
In the northern hemisphere September 23rd marked the Autumn Equinox and the start of fall. In these days we traditionally celebrate harvests and the bounty of summer, and enjoy the last warm days before winter. But what to do about the increasing lack of sunlight?
In our psychic lives, we need the energy of the sun as much as we need water, air, or ground under our feet. Sunlight represents the fourth essential spiritual element of fire. If we don’t have enough of it, we can easily become depressed and lose touch with our psychic self.
So how can we incorporate the sun in our daily lives, even if we can’t afford a winter home in Hawaii? The most obvious answer is to make time to get natural sunlight. Sorry, but that artificial sunlamp in your office doesn’t count! Of course, if we’re able to, it is nice to take that winter vacation to a sunnier climate, but if not, a walk outside each day can prove extremely beneficial. Continue reading
A Message Of Hope From Hel’s Pond
A yellow butterfly guided me to Blanke Helle, or “Hel’s Pond” during a recent visit to Berlin, Germany. It darted ahead of me all the way from the bus stop in AlboinStraße, until I reached the entrance to the park where lies forgotten, and hidden from public notice, the ancient pagan site sacred to Hela, or Hel, the Norse-Germanic goddess of death and the underworld.
I have been guided by butterflies on a regular basis over the past two years, since the first one appeared to me at the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, Greece. I was much encouraged by the sudden presence of this golden, magical creature, because it predicted that my visit to this sacred pagan site would be less somber than I had imagined. Yellow butterflies represent rebirth, new life, transformation and resurrection in several cultures. The Irish believe yellow butterflies to be an indicator of the peaceful transition of departed souls. And in Christian tradition yellow butterflies are symbolic of the Christ’s resurrection from death. They are also regarded as a sign of the presence of angels. Would Hel’s dark waters ultimately leave me with a message of hope? Continue reading
Spring Awaits Within The Sacred Circle
I was concentrating on work last night, while outside my window, without me realizing, a quiet blanket of white fell over the earth. The beauty of the quietness, the purity of the color gave a sense of all is well.
Of course, this snow puts the universe into a time of pause, a waiting time, where even the stars, the Moon, and the Earth seems suspended, still, ending movement, ending growth. Yet, underneath, the seeds and the bulbs are preparing, taking in nourishment, so that in the advent of the Spring season, sometimes even before the snow is gone, the beautiful new growths start to pop up here, there, bringing new life.
Many people wish for Spring all the time. Our lives are so busy. We wish to keep rushing, fast-paced, moving toward our goals and our dreams. We want to keep life moving as quickly as we can. Continue reading
Heliotherapy – Let The Sunshine In!
As winter is upon us in the Northern Hemisphere, for many of us it’s also the onset of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as “winter blues” or “winter depression.” Since most of us can’t afford a month-long trip to a tropical island to offset our melancholy, what can we do holistically and naturally to restore ourselves to balance?
Many of us spend our waking hours almost entirely indoors. We wake up when the sun is just rising, work for many hours, and then go home when it is already setting again. This is artificial and unhealthy.
Our ancestors, who were free from our modern lifestyle diseases, never would have experienced it. We need sunlight to grow, to heal, and to thrive, which is why SAD, in these months of diminished sunlight, can be so debilitating.
Make it a priority to get outside and take in the natural light. Without the Vitamin D and other nutrients we need, it’s easy for us to slip into a downward spiral. In addition, natural sunlight has benefits such as lowered blood pressure, a stronger immune system, and improved mood. Continue reading
Winter May Come, But Spring Will Always Follow
The delicate African Violets on my window sill are beautiful this season. The window is the best place for them, as each one soaks up the sunlight from the East. The Sun smiles on them this morning.
The key thing with violets that many people don’t realize is that we hurt them the most by over-watering. Water is a good thing for plants, right? Violets, however, are native to the tropics where heat, sun, and a dry atmosphere is more prevalent.
The unique needs of these violets teaches us how to follow our own path. This is the true beauty of nature. See, each of us is different. When we look around us, we can’t follow someone else’s path, or be jealous, or worried that the path they are following is different from our own. Continue reading
What Did You Give Up For Lent?
You’re out with your friends on a Friday night and suddenly you notice that one of them has switched from his favorite microbrew beer to lemonade? Is it time for Lent already?
Giving up something for Lent sometimes evokes head-scratching in non-Catholics, but what might seem like just another Catholic eccentricity can actually be a practice with deep spiritual significance.
Lent, the period of 40 days that precedes the celebration of Easter, has its origin in the early days of the Church. This year Lent began on March 5th and it ends on April 17th.
Converts seeking to become Christian, who at that time were mostly adults, spent several years in study and preparation. Under the threat of Roman persecution, becoming a Christian was serious business, so their process of preparation was intensive. Then they went through a final period of “purification and enlightenment” for the 40 days before their baptism at Easter. The rest of the Church began to observe the season of Lent in solidarity with these newest Christians. It became an opportunity for all Christians to recall and renew the commitment of their baptism. Continue reading