Ripples #923: Winter’s Sacred Quality!

Ripples #923: Winter’s Sacred Quality.
Jan 30, 2017

PEBBLE

If you touch the sacred quality of winter inside yourself—that quality of everything returning to its most essential form—you find yourself falling off the end of the mind and into openness.
-Adyashanti, shared by Pamela, in Hawi, HI

BOULDER

Now I realize that the trees blossom in spring and bear fruit in summer without seeking praise, and they drop their leaves in autumn and become naked in winter without fearing blame.
-Kahlil Gibran, shared by Carol in Tennessee

PONDER

We recognize spring and summer as seasons of emerging and developing, yet we tend to forget that autumn’s decomposition and winter’s dormancy are also vital components of the growth cycle. Winter is the time when many organisms are resting and recovering as they prepare for another growth spurt that will inevitably arrive when spring showers and summer sunshine returns. And while it’s perfectly natural (and perfectly acceptable) to long for those warmer, brighter days, it might be useful to cultivate an appreciation for the regenerative, restorative nature of winter.

If too many bleak and blustery days in a row have you feeling down, I invite you to reframe the need to bundle up as an opportunity to practice insulating yourself from unwelcome bitterness of the elements. And instead of feeling “stuck inside,” you might choose to leverage your inside time with an inward focus: a chance to rest, nest, and digest…which will return you to your best.

Peace,
Paul
The Ripples Guy

P.S. It is completely acceptable if you just groaned at the last line. Completely. Acceptable.

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