Speaking of Spirit

(c) 2015 Linda M. Rhinehart Neas The message isn't new. Each year around this time, we are reminded that life continues, that nature renews itself. We see it in the first sprouts of spring, we hear it in the joyous birdsong of mating season, we smell it in the vernal rains that fall on fields near and far. But why do we need to be reminded? I believe that after the harshness of winter - the cold, the dark, the incessant chill - we need to be, in a sense, resurrected. We need to leave the tombs of our homes where we have hunkered down for the long winter months and step out into the light of spring's rebirth. We begin to see friends and neighbors once more, renewing old friendships or birthing new ones.  Around the world, this is the time of year that Christians celebrate Easter or Paschal Sunday. The promise of this Holy Day is new life. The Resurrection, followers believe, is the symbol of the rebirth of the soul. Just as buds return to the apparently dead branches ...

This weekend, I went on retreat with fellow clergy. As we were sitting in the closing circle this morning, I realized how much I had needed this time away. A retreat is a time to reflect, to rejuvenate and to re-examine our lives. To be able to retreat is essential to self-care. Retreating in this sense is not cowardly, but rather a very brave and rewarding thing to do. If you have never been on a retreat, I highly recommend it. Many of the old religious centers have now been transformed into retreat centers. Many offer interfaith retreats, so you don't have to belong to any particular faith path. (One thing - retreat centers are not luxury spas, so don't expect that. These are places where you go to feed your soul. The accommodations are lovely, clean and they do their best to accommodate specific needs of the guests.) I can't describe how wonderful it was to reconnect with my colleagues, nor how peaceful I feel. What a joy to come home feeling refreshed!  Remem...

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,  And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,  Sell one, and with the dole  Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul. by Saadi of Shiraz Many years ago, my mother taught me this poem, which is filled with such great wisdom.  The poet, Saadi, was a Persian medieval scholar.  Each Easter, I buy hyacinths for the house, transplanting them into the garden once they go by. Why? Because, after a long, cold and difficult winter, my soul needs the beauty they provide.  Their scent, the gorgeous, rich purple blooms, the delicate shape of each flower does more to wash away the doldrums than all the medicine in the world! So, as the Easter morning sun rises on the first day of April, may you find something beautiful that will feed your soul.  Blessings of Light, Healing and Renewal!

Photo Credit: Crocus - (c) 2018 LMN Is it any wonder that spring is associated with birth, resurrection, and new life? Each spring, I am in awe of how, out of earth turned gray and lifeless by the winter's cold hand, bits of green can suddenly appear, growing daily until blossoms of spring flowers shock the senses with their presence. From the beginning of time, when humans first walked Earth, there has been an awareness of how mystical and magical this time of year is. From standing stones to burial mounds, from pyramids to great cathedrals, the changing of the seasons has been recognized through art, music, poems, prayers, and ritual.  Standing in a garden that is beginning to return to life is akin to watching the raising of the dead. For all intent purposes, most of the trees and flowers look dead, beyond the ability to produce life, yet, each spring buds start to fill, green shoots appear, and life returns in all its glory. This has been a long, hard winte...

Five Angels Dancing Giovanni di Paolo [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Several months ago, my doctor suggested I try doing Zumba at home. (Zumba is a form of cardio-vascular exercise that incorporates Latin dance moves and other forms of aerobic exercise done to the beat of music.) He suggested it because I was having trouble exercising enough to lose weight that I had gained over the winter. I love to dance, so I thought, why not! I got the DVD's for Baby Boomers...these are not as intense as the regular Zumba dances. The minute the music started I was hooked.  The music is upbeat and happy. I don't see how anyone can help but move when you listen to the Latin and African Rhythms.  I have lost weight...but not all of it is body weight. My time doing Zumba also helped me spiritually. Dancing released the weight of stress that built up with my mind and soul. As that decreased, I was more open to filling with Spirit. At first, dancing was a chore of...

Christians around the world will begin observance of the holiest of weeks in the Christian calendar - Holy Week .  Like many of our feasts, some of the history of Holy Week has been forgotten, as have the rites and rituals observed.  Why do people get palms on Palm Sunday?  What is Maundy Thursday all about?  Why do the symbols of lambs, eggs and flowers surround Easter? Historically, Holy Week or Easter Week as some call it, is the remembrance of the time that Jesus of Nazareth joined with his disciples to celebrate the Jewish feast of Passover, was arrested, tried and executed.  This week culminates in the holiest of holy days, Easter - the day of the resurrection of Jesus. Symbolically, Holy Week is filled with imagery, the meaning of which has been forgotten by many.  Palms have long been a symbol of life, rebirth or resurrection. They are used on Palm Sunday as foreshadowing for Easter Sunday. Maundy Thursday gets its name from the new comma...

The days are getting longer.  The sun is warming the Earth, melting the snow to provide nourishment to the new growth that lies beneath the ice quilt of winter.  Spring is Nature's long awaited wake-up call.  Spring is also the time we, humans of the Northern climates, practice various traditions of self-renewal, growth and awakening. Like Nature with its occasional Spring snows, we sometimes resist the call to become introspective. We, too, want to cover our heads with the blankets and tell the Light to go away for a bit longer.  But, in truth, the Light is always there, calling to us, shining for us.  We are the ones that chose to turn a blind eye. Staring up at the blue skies, I call out to the Creator... Bless us with Your Love and Light!  Warm our frozen hearts so that we may become instruments of Peace and vessels of Love.  Nurture us with Your Grace so that we may bloom to be the best we can.   As Spring awakens the Earth, awaken...

 Photo credit: LMRN © 2015 - Through Love's Eyes   The celebration of a wedding anniversary is as important as the actual wedding day.  On this day, couples have the opportunity to stop and reflect on their love for each other. Many times on significant anniversaries like the 10, 25, or 50th, couples have a re-commitment ceremony in which they renew their vows. This renewal or re-commitment allows not only the couple, but family and friends the space to remember why these two people came together in the first place.  They are reminded that marriage isn't all sunshine and roses.  There are plenty of valleys to walk through and mountains to climb; however, when the couple is mindful of their love and dedicated to each other, no valley or mountain stands in the way. So, in celebration of anniversaries, I offer this prayer: May the renewal of your life together be blessed, in order that you may continue to bless others around you - May your love b...

This weekend, two major holy days are observed.  Jews around the world will be celebrating Passover, while Christians will be observing Easter. (Actually, Eastern Christians will celebrate Easter; Western Christians celebrate Palm Sunday this weekend.) During these holy days, words like rebirth, renewal and resurrect are part of the daily vocabulary. After all for those who live in the Northern Hemisphere, this IS the time for rebirth, renewal and resurrection.  Winter is over; spring has begun.  Life is reappearing in the form of buds and bits of green pushing through the dark soil. However, this all happens so fast, that at times it seems we go to bed and when we awake, the world is in full bloom once again. The key word in that last sentence is "awake." I found it interesting to learn that a synonym for renewal was awakening .  When we are fully aware, we are awakened to the life around us.  We see what we did not notice before. This weekend, reg...