In Celtic wisdom we remember that our soul,
the very heart of our being, is sacred.

-John Philip Newell

Welcome to the Reflection for November!

All around our neighborhoods at this time of year, we begin to see houses lighting up with decorations.  It is a one of my favourite times of year to be out for an evening drive and to take in the warmth of those lights shining in the night.

This past week, preparations are happening for all kinds of celebrations that welcome the light.  In the Christian tradition, we have entered the season of Advent and Christmas; in the Jewish tradition it is a time for celebrating Hanukkah; and in Indigenous traditions, the Winter Solstice is approaching.

Our Spirit Garden Reflection for November picks up on this theme of light, as we explore the topic of Sparks of Light.  The reflection is slightly longer this month and the reflection activity is slightly different.  So I would invite you to set aside at least 45 minutes for this reflection and activity this month.

My hope is that this reflection on Sparks of Light will help you enter into that special time that the end of the year can hold.  A time to review and a time to look forward.  I hope this reflection will be a time of tending to your inner light and appreciating the unique spark of light that you shine in the world.

With light-filled blessings,
Kathy

To Close Your Reflection

You may wish to close your reflection with the song This Little Light of Mine by Elizabeth Mitchell.

Journey through the Seasons

This past week, the majestic maple that lives next door laid down the last of her leaves.  She is complete.  Her work for the year is done now.  She can turn her energy and attention inward, finding rest and stillness.  I walk past her now and see her leaves, laying like a blanket upon the ground.  I look up at her bare branches and see a small bird’s nest held there, waiting for the occupants to return in the spring.

I think of all of the life that she has supported this year.  The squirrels scampering through her branches, her leaves catching the sun in an amazing process of transformation that sustains my life and your life.  She deserves to rest after all of the life support she has given.

Witnessing the yearly cycle of the tree is such a gift.  Every year, there is a teaching and a reminder to attend to these rhythms of life.  The periods of new growth, the time of maturity and the time to lay down the work and rest before entering another cycle.

In this Spirit Garden Moment, I would like to offer you a meditation of journeying through the seasons by imagining that you are with a tree.  I invite you to choose a deciduous tree that drops its leaves each year in order to do this meditation.  As you listen to the meditation and allow your mind’s eye to take you on a journey with the tree, notice what arises within you, what teaching is there for you, and what wisdom is offered to you.

As we approach the last month of the year, it is a time when we naturally begin to turn our attention inward.  We may become a little bit more reflective and I hope that this meditation helps you to gather in the gifts and the teachings that the cycle of this year has given you, and may it give you permission to lay down the work for a moment and rest.

Blessings,
Kathy

Connect & Share

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