Where does anything begin? Nothing starts from nothing. A tiny green sprout we notice poking through the ground didn’t just appear out of the blue. There was a seed, nutrients in the soil, rain showering moisture, the sun shining warmth. There’s always something else before the manifestation that we can observe with our five senses.

May this week be the beginning that precedes the beginning. Celebrate what you have done so far in your life. Take into account the good and the unpleasant. Congratulate yourself for enduring the hardships, and surviving. Recognize the lessons you’ve learnt, and find wisdom in the errors you’ve made. It’s Mardi Gras on Tuesday after all, one of folk festivals in Europe, symbolic of saying goodbye to the lingering cold Winter, and inviting in the fresh air of the approaching Spring.

Step out of your comfort zone, and see things from upside down. You’ll quickly recognize what has to be discarded, and what’s worth keeping. Give away, throw away, burn away. And offer the remaining residues of shadows and ashes to the Universe and to the Earth, in gratitude. You’re creating spiritual and physical compost for the new seeds to be nourished.

But please don’t be harsh with yourself. Don’t beat yourself up for the wrongs that you may have committed. Apologize as appropriate. No need to perpetuate the philosophies and practices of punishment. Allow Love to wash away pain and guilt. Forgive yourself and others. Learn from your mistakes, be grateful, and move on, with humble and aware mind.

Since the Winter Solstice in the Northern hemisphere, we’ve been exploring ourselves and the relationships we are in. We’ve wondered the deep emotional caverns of our psyches. It’s time to take stock, gather the useful insights, and dissolve the processed pain. The Universe, through its celestial dance, offers us a moment on February 20 this year – with the new moon a day before Mardi Gras – to cleanse and purify our inner chambers so that we get prepared to open the windows and doors when the invigorated will knocks in March.

The world is threatening to stun

the inborn forces of my soul;

now, memory, come forth

from spirit depths, enkindling light;

invigorate my inward sight

which only by the strength of will

is able to sustain itself.

~ Verse 46 by Rudolf Steiner from The Calendar of the Soul
(trans. Ruth & Hans Pusch)

Stark harshness threatens

the soft glow of my Soul.

The memory of Spirit Light

sustains me in harsh times:

I focus my inner vision,

I find the strength of will

to endure and thrive.

~ Soulful Spark 46 by Marta Stemberger

Beware of the impulses received from the external sources. They tend to push us into pre-mature beginnings on the first of January, the start of a new year according to the Gregorian calendar, and then again at the onset of the new Chinese year, which was on Sunday, January 22, this year. The forces of true human will are still predominantly dormant in our age, and thus very susceptible to manipulations. Keep asking: “Is this action truly what my Soul is guiding me to do, or am I influenced by the opinions of family, friends, acquaintances, gurus, advertisements?” Any free activity must go through the stages of thinking and feeling, before it’s ready to spring into doing.

Exercising the human right of free will requires careful and conscious attention. Each one of us is a sovereign being, and can decide what to do and what not to do. But how free are we really? Outside messages, designed to seep into our subconscious as to appear our own, are constantly steering us into directions for their masters’ unscrupulous aims. To what extent are my thoughts and feelings a genuine reflection of my true self? We need to perpetually hold this question in our awareness when we embark on a soulful journey. Who am I? What is my purpose in the current lifetime? How do I connect with my essence and my Highest Self?

Without conscious effort to stay awake, we easily fall back into dreamless slumber. The world we live in is full of drugs to keep us asleep. Do you want to be a puppet, controlled by sophisticated media, or do you choose to realize your fullest human potential? The echo of “know thyself” still reverberates through the ethers from the ancient Greek oracle at Delphi. Wake up and live. May your Soul survive the pilgrimage through the wastelands, and thrive in the newfound freedom of the conscious will.

How do we keep our inner spark alive amidst the harshness of the world?
We have one resource always available to us: The forces of Light and Love and Life, our three Spirit grandparents that nourish us at all times. Let’s re-member, re-connect, re-merge with them to feed our human Soul with their gifts.

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Over to you, dear Soulful Reader:

HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR INNER FLAME ALIVE AMIDST THE HARSHNESS OF THE WORLD?

I invite you to share your thoughts + impressions below.

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Treat yourself to insightful name analysis…

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