Dearest Jems,
“Springtime thoughts Down Under”
Yesterday I sat and become transfixed on my vase of daffodils. I had just been to the garden and thought that I would love to bring the yellow and bright orange energy into my home. I sat there in wonder for just a moment and gazing at the exquisitely delicate blooms. They are perfect. It is like looking at a magic array of tall sunbeams standing proudly in a moment of stillness.
I thought about their long journey from deep within the earth and how they forced their way through the darkness with their desire to be seen. I considered their brilliance and determination in striving toward their true purpose of sharing their unique beauty and elegance in a moment in time.
Then I considered our journey and as humans we go through very similar phases. This is captured by the days of deep dark plummeting into the depths of our soul and eventually emerging with a renewed sense of purpose; catapulting our alchemy from bulb to bloom.
In truth, I’ve never been an avid gardener. Honestly Jems, I have never wanted to take the time to cultivate the earth or wait for Spring to reveal in the reward for my labour. I guess my life has been far too hectic or I’ve not taken the time to work with nature in such an intimate way.
Now, I have such joy from the miracle of my garden. Canberra seasons offer such harshness with our relationship with the garden. From icy frosts and dry hot summers it is difficult to get anything to grow let alone bloom and flourish. I suppose that is the attraction for me – if it was easy then I wouldn’t be so keen to make it happen? This conviction to make something grow demonstrates (for me) the poignancy of transformation.
September is spring time in Oz. I am impatient for the warmer weather and lighter months. The dark curtain of winter is slowly drawing back to reveal the magnificence and promise of spring 2011.
So Jems, how does your garden grow? Are you preparing for the winter snow? I look forward to your account of Fall in Vermont – a time that brings amber glows and flashing red memories of colour and magic.
As always I am beaming you brilliant rays of warm September joy – my Friend.
Love and Peace,
Jar
Friendly Autumnal Greetings From Far to Jar!
Your letter was beautiful – it brought to me a warm recollection of springtime, and the flash of a pleasant distant memory- just as our days are beginning to cool off. When I arise in the now darker morning, I have to wrap myself up to keep out the chill. But I do so enjoy this season – I can’t complain – there is something about autumn that wakes up my senses and opens my mind.
This season is bittersweet to me. I love the foliage and its technicolor display, the abundance of summer’s harvest patiently waiting to be gathered and stored, and the coolness of the air as it carries the aromas of the views we behold. But then I realize -- that what I am looking at, inhaling, touching, and sensing -- is the decline and decay, the process of death and rebirth. There is such exquisite beauty, as we dance to the end of one cycle, and prepare to begin a new one.
I marvel at how this season is reflecting my own life – and how this is a time of letting go. As I watch the trees dry out, the grasses fade, and the flowers wither, it is more than apparent that time passes by way too swiftly. I take stock of what I have in my life, and also whom.
In the winter of his life, my father has not been too well, but his cheerful Gemini attitude constantly expresses the power of spring, with its hope and brightness that lifts the heart and spirit. Watching him has initiated the dispersal of fear and opened the floodgates of increased faith in the unknown. He is still teaching me ~ this time it is how to get old and let go gracefully.
Each season has its own expression of beauty, even the dark, cold winter – there is something very comforting about sealing ourselves up in the warmth of a cozy home and waiting out the storms. It is a meditative time, and there is joy in finding that peace and serenity that comes with the silence. I look forward to that time.
I love how you are in your season of lifting up, and I am in the equal and opposite season of descending. In a few short months we will be at this place again, waving hello as we pass each other on our way to a new, reversed cycle. I wish you a glorious springtime – let the gift of sun shine into your heart every day, and remind you of that beautiful light that shines out of your soul.
Happiness always,
JEM
