Words of Rudolf Steiner, “winter is the summer of the soul”, are excerpted from the Calendar of the Soul. I am grateful for Steiner’s insights, linking the natural world with the soul life of the human being. Today, I look at bare trees and snow-covered roofs and I know winter is here; it impacts my body and soul.
Without a doubt, I love summer and its opportunities for outdoor recreation and social gatherings, the warm sun and longer days. It’s a binge for the senses! My body exults in the experience!
Throughout autumn, there is a shift in the weather and in me. I am drawn inward. My body moves into resting mode while my soul awakens.
Much like a womb, my soul is a warm, nourishing space, in which I conceive, gestate and birth something new and precious. What lies latent in me, awaits this opportunity for expression. When I nurture it with my attention, it grows, organizing the joys and sorrows of experience, into a living bundle of possibility.
My soul bears the imprint of the year that is coming to an end. I take time to look back on what happened in my life personally and in the world. Sorting through memories allows me to cull meaning from the experiences and release what does not serve me. I recognize patterns, forgive myself and others for harm done, and envision what I truly desire on a soul level. Obstacles are revealed. I see clearly, allow emotions to arise, and choose my way forward.
When I engage in this reflecting and sorting process, my soul becomes open and receptive to what is new. It no longer holds fragments of experiences, but a sense of wholeness, of innocence. Inner warmth and peace grow. I fill with love, with joy, with peace, enough to flow out into my world, lighting up the darkness. I cannot remove the world’s darkness, but I can generate light!
I welcome winter’s soul feast so I can evolve, becoming the person I can be, the one I want to be. The quality of my being is more important than anything in the physical realm. I could have all the outer things I want, but if I do not have inner peace, if I do not have love, if I do not have joy, they have no value. Let my soul embrace the season and open to receiving the light so its brightness will shine out from me into the world!
That is my deepest desire, to receive this priceless gift for myself and humankind.