Forty
Days
“With
my ninth mind I resurrect my first and dance to the slow music of my
soul made new.”
Aberjhani
(Visions of a Skylark Dressed in Black)
Lent
is the season of preparation before the resurrection. In terms of the
Earth, it is the slow unfurling of buds, the first emergence of green
shoots after the long sleep of winter. For Christianity, it is the
darkness of the tomb before the stone is rolled away. We look forward
to new growth, new awareness, a turning of our spirits to the full
light of life itself. Today is Ash Wednesday. Today we buckle down
and begin the journey to Easter, to spring.
Even
if you aren't Christian, this period before true spring is a good
time to prepare for the season of growth. Spring is the warm-up jog
before the sprint of summer. Time to cast off what is old and used-up
in preparation for what is to come. We can do that in many
ways—“spring house cleaning” is a good metaphor for
clearing-out all the dark, dusty corners that need sweeping and
wiping down—both inner and outer. Since we have forty days to do
it, there's plenty of time. We sweep out the winter of darkness by
cleaning out our closets and letting go any lingering resentments or
hard feelings. We bag the accumulated debris from our porches, and
sidewalks and from our attitudes. We sweep down the cobwebs that
obscure our true vision of God's world. By getting rid of our
blinders, we open ourselves to resurrection, both large and small.
Death
is necessary before resurrection. Let it be the death of negativity.
We can take all the baggage we've carried, that's weighed us down and
slowed our steps, to the curb and leave it for trash pick up. Dancing
to the slow music of soul, we look toward the Light, and welcome
Spring.
In
the Spirit,
Jane
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