The Rites of Spring

[Twig]

Hi Everyone!!! I've been away for a while to do some contemplating and rearranging and generally getting back in touch with Twig type of time. I missed you all terribly and apologise for not answering things here. In my defense, I HAVE been down due to the lack of a modem for the past week, hehehe.

Actually, Spring is the time for me to "Renew". I would like to discuss this,as it is a wonderful tool to help further you in your quest be it druidic, christian, wiccan, or whatever. It is not only a spirtual renewal but, a rebirth. Each spring the Earth[Mother]renews herself. EVERY living creature does the same in their own unique way [in a yearly cycle]. If you think about it...1 year completes a life-cycle for a LOT of things. Decidious[sp] trees grow and shed their leaves. Most animals have their young on a yearly basis. In short,this is the RHYTHM of the Earth.

What I did this last month is "retune" myself to the rhythm of
the world around me. In doing so I experienced a rebirth with nature itself! Actually I'm still in the process but felt it was time to share.

First-renew the brain. You must stop and look back at the past year. Think on the entire year and what it represented to you. Don't be critical because it is now the PAST. the ONLY thing you can do is LEARN from it.

Example: The main lesson for me last year is that for some
reason, the path that I am following is one that needs to be told to more people than I ever dreamed of!![thank you internet] You people are my conformation of this. I have had strangers tell me they want to learn what I know and would I "teach" them. [To be honest, it still scares me]

Next- LET IT GO! Forgive yourself for the mistakes you made. Come to peace with #1. Look in the mirror each morning and clear your mind of the clutter that the last [life]year has left you.
Try to come to a "neutral" state. One in where you only live for the Present. Where you start to look at everything as if it was new and you had never seen it before.

What you are doing to this point is adknowledging the person that WAS you and burying them after LEARNING what that person was teaching you. When you feel comfortable with this concept you clear the Mind for the rebirth of Life.
At some point[it too me almost 3 weeks]you should start to REALLY see how the Earth around you is growing.You suddenly notice flowers blooming, new birds and all the other signs that
there is new LIFE! Things take on a new perspective.
Soak in the sheer newness of the world around you and look on
things like a child. Every day becomes a new adventure again!

My Dear Friends, Life is a circle. I have seen that there are 2 ways to look at the circle of life.
1. It can be one big circle that you walk but once. A line that you walk continuously until you die.
OR
2. You can try to attune yourself with the yearly cycle the Mother herself follows and be reborn with her again and again with a new
outlook each time.

Comments? Questions? What do you think of this?
With the Love and protection of the One and Andrasta,
Peace
Twig
:elf:

[Mairwen]

Welcome back, Twig!

Interesting that you choose Spring as your renewal. Gwyddons choose Yule to be that time, as that is when the Sun is reborn, and life is again renewed. The beginning of our Solar Year is Yule, see.

[Maggie]

Originally posted by Twig
OR
2. You can try to attune yourself with the yearly cycle the Mother herself follows and be reborn with her again and again with a new
outlook each time.


Hiya Twig.......

A circle that's not a circle is a spiral--and I try to think of each year's renewal as one, rather than the same path. After all, each year brings something new rather than ALL the same old things, right? :D

The winter solstice is also the beginning of the new year for 'my' kind of druids, but it's considered more of a time of rest, a time for planning the new activites that then expand and grow with the spring.....

Regards,

Maggie

[widukind]

Hi All!

Twig, I think you are right and I, myself do the same, although my cycles are shorter... I tend to summarise what I have been through at random moments.

What's more, I tend to feel intense sympathy for all people and all creatures of Nature. So at theese random moments, I see what I've acomplished on an empathic level, and I 'reset' myself, revert to my neutral state, as it were.

This seems to be a recurring theme in my life, empathy, which I try to embody. I am by no means a Christian, but I try to embody the ideal but fictive person Jesus might have been, trying to love everyone and this works for me.

I have respect for everyone and everything, and this supply me with a great deal of joy. I can summon all minor emotions ( joy, sadness, hilarity, shame, comfort, etc. ) in myself at will, a gift for which I am truly grateful. I can also dismiss even the deepest emotions at will, which helps me greatly in my quest for neutrality and empathy.

I hope this all made sense to you, ask by all means if you have questions.

Brightest Blessings,


Widukind

[Celtic_Angel]

I too have a time of renewal for myself. It's not in tune with nature or any holidays, but I start fresh each year when school gets out. I normally have an entire month between semesters to spend getting to know myself again, look at the past, and to find a new peace with myself. That month is normally spent outdoors with nature or reading up on subjects that I wish to have a deeper knowledge of and I often ignore the phone, friends, VCR, and computer during this time. The last couple of years this time has come in the middle of spring, so it has been particularly refreshing. This year as it has come around, I have spent time connecting with the growing child within me and furthering my knowledge of my connection with nature. MW has been a great asset to this process.

Thank you Twig for sharing your proccess with us. That was really special! I hope that this next year's circle goes well for you!

C_A

[Dria El]

Welcome back Twig. We missed you! ;)