As the old year passes into the new, a sense of newness mixes with the old. Digging deeper, the problem becomes clear: Our lives, so tied to routine, often resist real change, even when we decide to improve.
If you have read my previous articles, you know that transformation is a recurring theme. But why is this the case? Is it always beneficial to strive to become a better version of ourselves? Can this pursuit sometimes have negative consequences? As you consider this, think about trees: They are pruned according to the seasons. The pruning process is painful, but it is necessary for the tree’s overall health, longevity, and fruitfulness.
In all wisdom traditions, language, symbols, rites, and rituals guide adherents across the span of rolling years. Seasons are draped in traditions and practices that ground people in a deeper appreciation and understanding of the most significant purposes of life and of our time on this big blue marble. This is what hinges the festivals and feasts that commence in October and crossover into January.
So the process is the same with us as individuals. We can, should we take up the task with heartfelt intention, challenge who we are presently and commit ourselves to a journey of self-discovery. The purpose is to experience grounding and acquire a deeper appreciation for the true meaning of life, which is not wealth, success, or power. These are tools that, in the hands of humble and meek individuals, can transform entire communities. However, they are not all too often. Therefore, there must be something greater and deeper,
broader and often beyond the typical scope of our daily “lives”.
Festivals of light, which promise to overcome shadows and darkness, are not in vain. If we appropriate time to further the journey despite the “demands” of the society we live in, we can choose to address but not engage what so easily become superfluously when compared to children with cancer and wars where lives are forever torn apart.
This is not an appeal to superficial emotionality or gaslighting. It is an honest suggestion to take the nature of the season we just experienced and invest in living its deepest teachers’ lessons in the months ahead. Remaining aware of the star that guided wise men, the joy and vitality of God’s avatars, the peace that comes with the promises that light will remain even though it seems impossible, no matter what, the ancients left us with books and guides for us to live in light and truth.
This is the beginning of the journey toward a better you and a better community. If each of you wishes to walk and remain in the light, then we can become a city on a hill that brings all home on earth as it is in heaven.
