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Fresh Stirrings

Posted by Marta Stemberger on Feb 18, 2018 | 0 comments

When people were fully dependent on the produce from the Earth, the last weeks of Winter could have been harsh. The diversity and quantity of food resources were dwindling down. “Can we make it until the fresh edible Spring fruits are ripe for gathering?” Observing plants and animals and the Sun gave hope. And inspired eagerness to escort the old Winter away, while enticing the shy Spring to come in quicker. Hence a plethora of festivals in February: from the first stirrings in the Earth’s womb on Imbolc to turning the common ways upside-down at Mardi Gras carnivals to celebrating Love on Valentine’s Day in the middle of the month. These are only a few examples. The Christian custom of fasting from Ash Wednesday (which was last week this year) to Easter Sunday can be understood on existential grounds (rationing the disappearing pantry reserves) as well as spiritual aspirations (anticipating Light’s victory over death).

The Soul has learnt much about Love during its Winter sojourn in the realms of feeling, and is now clearing, or rather cleansing, the path to make the insights of the heart visible in the world of matter. In Slovene folklore, the birds start courting in the middle of February but they don’t mate until the middle of March, in time for Spring Equinox.

Yes, indeed, February is an odd month in the temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere: the sunlight hours continue to extend, yet, the temperatures are still low outside. And the snow storms continue to visit us. But we can also observe Life slowly waking up from the Winter slumber. Snowdrops and primroses and crocuses push through the cold soil to smile at us. Birds and rabbits and bees begin to be active anew. Nature responds to warmth, and people respond to Light: We may feel a certain release in the Soul as the days are slowly, yet persistently, getting longer.

Connect within and connect without. Open to the insights from your Spirit core, and be receptive to the ideas from the outer sources. Observe. Cozy up in your reclining chair. Use the power of Imagination to create your dream. Imbue it with the feelings you desire. Make it as real as possible. Constructive daydreaming gets better and easier with practice. Enter into the new reality you’ve created with all your being. Savor it. Then write the inspired creation down in your journal. When you’ve finished describing the real experience you’ve had in the world of genuine Imagination, pause. Breathe, close your eyes. Feel the column of Light, connecting you with your Highest Self. Form a question in your mind: “What is the first step I need to take to manifest my dream on the material plane?” Allow the forces of Light, Love, Life stream through you. Listen to the answer with your heart, not your brain. Perhaps you’ll hear: “Be positive,” or “Write to this person”. Follow up with heart-felt action. Be gentle and patient though. It takes time for the roots to strengthen into resilient channels that can sustain the growth. If you launch too soon, the umbilical cord, supplying spiritual provision, breaks, and your plan simply evaporates into thin air. Hold your horses. Wait until after the Spring Equinox, when the will forces of nature shall transform your jump into sustainable long-distance flight.

You see, we always have a choice, but we need to understand where it lies. Things happen to us as they are meant to happen, based on the blueprint we charted with our Spirit allies before we were born. However, we can choose how we react to whatever Life brings our way. There’s a gift and a lesson in everything: in pain and in joy. I can enjoy the rough beauty of a windy snowstorm, or I can wallow in anxiety of “how will I survive”. Each one of us has a decision to make. Our task on Earth is to choose wisely. While clever and smart have their place, the Soul desires wisdom from the heart, a cherished treasure to keep for Eternity.

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As the days and weeks and months and seasons progress, we all need ongoing gentle nudges and kind words to keep our inner flame alive. The electronic edition of the Soulful Sparks weekly Calendar provides such nourishment. The weekly verses and images invite us to tune in with our individual Soul to contemplate where we are, and draw inspiration and encouragement to continue on the path of personal development. The weekly calendar pages offer information about the stars and the planets, reminding us to move in harmony with the Cosmos.

The year ahead forms a soft outline of a path, covered with virgin snow on a bright winter day. It’s up to us to embellish this gift from the Universe with our actions, streaming from our own free will. And let’s not forget that we are continually supported by spiritual beings of Light, Love, Life.

Sparkle your Soul’s annual journey through the seasons with Soulful Sparks of Inspiration. Place the weekly verse and image and calendar pages, available in high resolution PDF and JPG files, on your desktop, laptop, mobile devices, to sparkle at you where and when you need the soulful touch the most: in the land of daily weaving of life and work, amidst the constant balancing of social obligations and personal quality time.