The abundant display of autumn foliage was all around us for the last eight weeks or so. But the yellow and orange and red and brown leaves were also falling down, one by one, abandoning the branches. And now we can notice again the Sun-lit crisp blue late autumn sky through the silhouettes of lavender skeletons. The wind blows and blows to help the trees shed their summer attire. They need to be stripped naked to be ready for the white winter coat. If the snow descends on the branches still full of leaves, they will break under the weight.

Likewise, we need to let go of the past to be able to fully receive the new in all its lusciousness. It’s not just about throwing away. No, it’s about spending time among the old possessions, reviewing the past experiences, and deciding which presents we will keep and which ones we will discard, in gratitude. The famous Japanese tidying guru Marie Kondo advises to save only what brings us joy. And what reminds us of valuable encouraging wisdom, I would add, to make sure we don’t repeat old mistakes. The knowledge acquired through experience becomes a stable foundation for the life ahead.

This year, we have an extra week for such inner work. The Thanksgiving Thursday in the U.S. is early, and so we’re granted a window of seven days before the first Advent Sunday. I’m aware that some followers of the Rudolf Steiner’s Calendar of the Soul prefer to jump ahead to the Advent verse. But I think it’s important that we pause now, and prepare for the final weeks leading to the Winter Solstice. Perhaps we may be able to curb the intrusion of the hectic pulse of commercialism into our daily affairs in December.

The dance of the Earth, the Sun, the Moon, offers us bonus days to cleanse and reorganize our inner and outer chambers. Will we use the gift from the Universe wisely? Will we ignore it? Perhaps we won’t even notice the additional breath of time.

Within me I quietly feel

how all that I’ve preserved of old

is quickened by new-risen sense of self:

This shall, awakening, pour forth cosmic forces

into the outer actions of my life

and growing, mold me into true existence.

~ Weekly Verse 34 by Rudolf Steiner from The Calendar of the Soul
(trans. Ruth & Hans Pusch, with a slight revision by Marta Stemberger)

In quiet contemplation,

my new, brighter sense of self

reviews past joys and sorrows.

Old wisdom, cleansed and

enlivened with fresh insights,

quickens the flow of Cosmic forces,

giving me strength to act,

inspiring my true Spirit growth.

~ Soulful Spark 34 by Marta Stemberger

We live to learn. We acquire wisdom through day-to-day existence. Each one of us. We’re constantly enriching our own common sense. That’s the natural disposition of human beings. We exist to be open and curious. To ask questions, to discover new things, to have fresh experiences. We can live only if we breathe; we feel alive only if we’re free and comfortable to move with an ever changing flow.

Alas, there’s also another force operating in this physical realm: the densification of matter. The heavier the object, the stronger the pull of gravity. An apple will fall down much faster than a leaf. To be able to walk on this planet, and enjoy it, the Earth Angels needed to put on some weight. The cosmic forces obliged, and set in motion an incredible endeavor. They carefully crafted an amazing organism called apes, using the method of evolution. Or rather, a very sophisticated system of trial and error. When these highly evolved mammals reached a particular point, consciousness was added to the mix. The sense of I AM. Voilà, the human race was born, and the process of conscious evolution in the physical body began. Observing, analyzing, planning, finding new solutions, from fire to rocket science, and everything in between. The aim is to fine-tune the conscious activity of the human mind to higher sensibilities: Imagination, Inspiration, Intuition. When we achieve this level in human development, Earth Angels can enter the physical realm. Right now, they’re just guiding us from the invisible ether, which surrounds the reality we can perceive by five human senses.

All they can do is guide us. Why? Because the awareness of self came with another gift: free will. We’re free to choose the slow path of fine-tuning into angelic vibrations, or the fast route into constricting physicality. In a way, it isn’t really fair, is it? How can we truly choose anything freely when the vast subconscious ocean of our psyche is pulling us down? Our conscious awareness is still but a tip of the iceberg. And it’s being constantly attacked by fear. Can I stay afloat, or will I melt into the dark oceans?

Quicker and bigger is so appealing. If I understand Fritjof Capra’s classic The Tao of Physics correctly, the faster the particles move, the denser the matter. This would then mean that the particles in a rock are very busy, whereas the particles in a feather move at a more leisurely pace.

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life,” warns Socrates in a well-known quote. Our minds are becoming denser because we’re in the non-stop mode of processing the rapid feed of data on the technologically created web, and try to input our own info into it as fast and as much as we can. The human brain is not a computer. It’s a living organism that needs air and blood flow to function. If the vessels are calcified, then oxygen cannot reach all the vital parts of the body. Through my own experience, I came to realize that the basic requirements for vibrant health are: breathe, relax, slow down.

Take time to review your past experiences from a new perspective. Notice if a new lens changes the lessons you thought you’ve learnt. Jot down your insights into a journal.

If the purpose of human existence is death, then why do we resist it so stubbornly? Isn’t the urge to live the most obvious sign that we are more than matter? The aim of human evolution is to consciously develop the highest cognitive sensibilities of Imagination, Inspiration, Intuition. We have been persistently guided on this path by our hearts and pure Love. Thank you, Earth Angels.

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Over to you, dear Soulful Reader:

WHAT WISDOM DO YOUR PAST JOYS AND SORROWS REVEAL TO YOU?

I invite you to share your thoughts + impressions below.

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Treat yourself to insightful name analysis…

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