Everything has its reason. We just have to look for it. The answer may be clear cut and simple, or a bit vague and complex. Here's my question: Why is Easter on the first Sunday after the first full Moon after the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere?
Spring and autumn compliment each other: They exist at the same time in the Earth's North and South, enriching the planet. What if jumping with joy and falling with sadness enable us to find the rich balance within ourselves as human beings?
The Spring Equinox is the moment of the perfect equilibrium between night and day, and the entrance into the brighter part of the year. We've been working on our emotions since the Winter Solstice, and now we are set for action. Nature was resting, if observed with a naked eye, but beneath the surface, many processes were taking place. Slower at first, then quicker as the sap's flow turned upward again at the beginning of February. Everything in Nature has been gaining strength to bloom and to mate in the Spring.
People, as part of Nature, have also been engaged with this energy. We felt the stirrings in us. Ideas may have been bubbling up: "I'm eager to bring them to life." Yet, we had to undergo the stages of preparation, patiently. During the last stretch between the Spring Equinox and the first Sunday after the full Moon, the Soul's focus has been shifting from feeling to doing. This year, the period was short, and very intense, wasn't it? On Tuesday, the Brussels, the headquarters of the European Community, was shocked by the morning explosions. The full Moon and the lunar eclipse were on Wednesday. On Friday, Saturn embarked on its retrograde across Sagittarius, which will end in the middle of August. From the outburst of unresolved worldly matters, to dissolving of the shadows, to facing our sense of timing. Wow! And the Soul still needed to do the final cleansing of the inner chambers before entering the new land of outer manifestation of ideas. Have unusual things been happening in your personal life too?
My week has certainly been... well, intense. I've got lots done, even though life was throwing some odd fire balls at me, perhaps to test if my Soul was prepared for a new phase in the annual pilgrimage. I think I did well, albeit at the last minute. The darkness and grime are gone, at least for now. I'm ready to put on a fresh garment of Light and Joy. Are you? Awesome, if you are; no worries, if you aren't. The journey is ongoing.
Life is a never-ending spiral. We need to surrender to its flow as we walk through shadows and Light, falling and rising. Without the shadows, we aren't able to truly experience the Light; without the falling, we won't appreciate the rising. Can we know joy if we have never lived through pain? We want immediate bliss. But are we capable to be in a perpetual state of happiness if we don't have the stamina to deal with our own fears?
We are never alone. The support from the Spirit world is always available. Our Highest Self continually speaks to us in thought impressions. Gradually, we develop the habit of noticing them; slowly, we may acquire a sense about the meaning of the messages. While many different tools and practices can assist us, there's no one-fits-all approach. You need to try for yourself, and see what works for you. I've searched far and wide, and for a long time. What has strengthened my connection with the Highest Self the most are Barbara Marx Hubbard's book Emergence: The Shift from Ego to Essence and Rudolf Steiner's I-A-O harmonious movement exercise. I've prepared the written and audio meditations for the latter, which you can get for free by clicking here. Check them out and see how they resonate with you.
Over to you, dear Soulful Reader:
What shadows do you need to dissolve now to be ready to venture into the brighter part of the year?
This article first appeared on the Soulful Sparks of Inspiration website.