As the events of the holiday season take root in consciousness, we move forward in February to the beginning of the Lenten season, which is a period of 40 days, plus feast days. This is when we really begin the work. Just as brand-new parents enjoy a time of rest and recovery after the birth of a baby, we have enjoyed a time of celebration, of wonder, of grace. After the oohs and aahhs and the baby gifts, there comes a moment when reality sets in: parenting is a lot of work! So it is with us. We open ourselves to what it means to live the Truth we know. We nurture the seed of Divinity within us. Emmet Fox tells us that we must raise the baby so that the baby will care for us when we have need. So it is here: we must nurture and grow our awareness of our Christ-Self. The spiritual practices we cultivate are part of our process of becoming "prayed up".

In the fullness of Spring, Easter arrive, and we celebrate the amazing historical events of Holy Week, along with recognizing the amazing events that have been emerging in our own lives as we do this work of growing in spiritual understanding. In our community we honor this "rising up" of consciousness with the White Stone ceremony. It is a way of answering the question, "Now that I have this increased awareness, what the heck am I supposed to do with it?" Within the structure of this sacred ritual, we enjoy a space in which we may hear the guidance of Spirit during our shared Silence.

Another 40 days and nights (more or less) passes, and we encounter Pentecost: the busting into expression of the Divine at the point of each of us. We have work to do, and we do that work! Just as the flowers bloom for their time and then give way to the seeds which will sprout into next year's blossoms, we do our work and know that through the Law of Cause and Effect, the choices we make and the actions we take will have consequences in every area of our lives. Recognizing the blessings in our lives, we realize how truly blessed we are. It is a privilege to do the sacred work of Being the Christ in expression.

So we pause and give thanks. We come together to celebrate the Truth of the Abundance of What We Are, individually and collectively expressing the Wholeness which is God. And when today's feast of Thanksgiving is complete, all the dishes washed and the leftovers put away, we become still. We listen, and we hear the ancient and eternal Voice within whisper to us that there is still more to unfold. There is still glory upon glory to come, and we again begin to prepare the soil of our souls to receive and express even more as the season of Advent once more dawns...

I'm on my annual 3-week winter retreat, but I'll still be joining you each Sunday morning via email for an exploration of the Advent process as we journey through this season of awakening.