Love is a fruit in season at all times
and within reach of every hand.

-Mother Teresa

Welcome to the Reflection for December!

This time of year is a busy one for many of us, so I wanted to offer you a shorter Spirit Garden Reflection this month, but one that I hope will create a moment for quiet reflection.

Across many traditions, these days of late autumn giving over to the season of winter are a sacred time.  It is a time when we are experiencing the longest, darkest nights of the year.  It is a time when we are waiting for the light to return.

For many, this time of year is known as a liminal space.  It is a time when we are betwixt and between.  In the Celtic tradition, this time is known as a threshold space in which change and transformation happen.

This is a time of year when our soul wisdom naturally wants to turn inward, to be reflective and to slow down.  It is a time when we may be experiencing bear energy which brings a desire to move into hibernation.  Yet, at this time of year, the commercialized sense of this holiday season has us caught up in being busy making preparations for our celebrations.  These contrasting energies can create a sense of friction within us as the soul longs for quiet and hibernation, yet so many concerts and gatherings call us to show up and put energy outward.

In the contemplative Christian tradition, we are moving through the days of Advent.  These days are intended to be a time for an inner kind of waiting and preparation that happens deep within our human hearts.  It is a time for tilling the inner soil of the soul in preparation to receive a renewed sense of the gifts of love and light to be birthed in our world.

The contemplative Christian tradition invites us into the symbolism of the season.  These darkest nights of the year are seen as being womblike.  It is a time to rest and replenish and to become receptive to whatever new life may want to be birthed in us and offered to the world.  It is a time to nurture seeds of inspiration and to allow our imaginations to be stirred by the Holy as we allow ourselves to receive and bring into being new visions and possibilities for loving our world into wholeness.

Below, I offer you a short video to watch of an acorn seed as it begins to unfurl and blossom from where it is planted deep in the earth.  This video does a wonderful job of capturing the essence of how periods of incubation and darkness are necessary before new growth reaches toward the light.

My hope is that, in taking a few quiet moments to watch this video, you will be inspired to journey through these holy days with a sense of wonder and anticipation as you watch and wait to discover what the Sacred wishes to birth through you in the days to come.  After the video, there are a few reflection questions for you to download.

As we make this journey through these holy days, may we not be afraid to allow our hearts to soften and for the light of our love to shine through.  Together, may we brighten our world.

As we bring this year to a close, I want to thank each of you for journeying through this year with Spirit Garden.  It is my deep hope that you have found something to nourish your inner life through these offerings each month.

With gratitude and love,
Kathy

A Time to Pray

These days, I have had many beautiful encounters with friends and colleagues in which our conversation about all that is happening in our lives and our world has sparked a spontaneous desire to pray together.  Perhaps, you too, are feeling a bubbling need in your heart to join your prayers with others.   I have reached out to a dear friend and colleague, Rev. Mary-Margaret MacPherson to write a prayer to offer you.  May you find a quiet moment to join your heart in her prayer below:

Holy One, You are with me. You surround me: on my left and on my right, above, beneath, behind and in front of me. For that I am most grateful. When the world churns and crashes around me; sometimes knocking me off my feet, it is good to remember that you are with me. Your strengthening presence is grounding, and I know I am never alone.

When turmoil and fear surround you, gentle reader, remember the Holy One is with you. These days can be so demanding, we can easily begin to feel depleted and hopeless. Our souls can start feeling a little more closed off or ragged than we have known before, and with that, compassion becomes a little harder to share. In light of this, may we be gentle with ourselves and remember to take some time to look around and see the presence of all that is Holy in and around us. Perhaps you will see it in the eyes of a child where joy and love spring forth as they play and delight in the world unaware of our gaze. Perhaps you see it as the morning light seeps through the fog, maybe it’s witnessed in the playful nature of a fox or the power of the blowing wind pushing you and moving all around you. Or maybe it’s as simple as a star beaming bright amidst the darkest skies. May these and all your reminders of Holiness fill you with awe and wonder. Let them seep into your being, your consciousness and your soul. This settling in and awareness of all that is Holy will enable your heart to respond, expand and open again helping you to offer compassion and love for this hurting world, the stranger, your neighbour, a loved one and friends. Gentle reader, be kind to yourself, find hope and peace in the love of all that is Holy which surrounds and strengthens you. 
May it be so.  Amen.

With prayers and blessings for the journey,
Kathy and Mary-Margaret

In Closing

As we embark on the Advent journey, may the ancient stories of Christmas stir your imagination.  May hope, peace, joy and love stir your heart and may you be attentive to the new visions that wish to be birthed through you.

Blessings,
Kathy

Connect & Share

Please share any comments about this Reflection in the comments below. Make sure to check out what others are posting and encourage each other!