SPRING IS IN THE AIR

There is a definite change in the air here in Rio! Not only is it much warmer suddenly but more flowers are coming into bloom and the birds have begun to nest. What a wonderful time of the year is Spring (or Primavera as it is called here), for me one of the most fascinating of the year. Even here in a tropical country when winter is mainly only apparent because of lower temperatures, it is noticeable. The blood seems to move more quickly through the veins and one becomes more energetic. New life appears everywhere and it is little wonder that for so many people, the magic of Spring is so special. Somehow our thoughts take on a brighter, more attractive dressing to match the trees and the flowers. Problems that seemed insoluble in the darker, colder days of winter seem much less intractable now. The hope that one poet described as “springing eternally in the human breast”, seems much more apparent at this uplifting time of the year.

I believe Spring gives us a very small glimpse of what will happen when the time comes to “shuffle off this mortal coil” and move to our true home in the spiritual world. The delight; the surge of love; the growth in energy and hope; all will be experienced once we have passed through the, sometimes daunting, change and left our physical body. We will become aware of brighter light and more brilliant and varied colours than we can remember seeing before and all those friends and loved ones we thought were lost will be lining up to welcome us to our new abode. Spring has come to our soul! No longer does the apparent winter of earthly life hold us in thrall; no longer do the worries about how to make ends meet, or the dread of sickness and pain drag us down and blanket our natural joy. We will finally realise that we truly are eternal beings of light with immense opportunities to realise our spiritual potential and a depth of love within our souls that we scarcely glimpsed whilst on earth.

We will become aware as time in our new home passes, that the experiences we underwent here on earth have changed us; have helped us to grow; have made us more complete as human spirits. Even the mistakes, indeed in a way, especially the mistakes, have strengthened us and taught us more about ourselves and our relationship to one another, to the world at large and to the great Creator that we mostly refer to as God. We will be able to see through the eyes of those whom we touched whilst here, exactly what effect our presence and our actions had upon their lives and their spiritual growth. Inevitably, there will be regrets that we did not do more or try harder but overall we will come to understand that in most instances we did our best and as Edward Young wrote in “Night Thoughts,” “Who does the best his circumstance allows, Does well, Acts nobly, Angels could do no more.”

So as you welcome Spring, in whatever months of the year it occurs in your part of this beautiful world, welcome and treasure it. It is the seasonal confirmation of immortality. It is God’s annual message to struggling humanity that says,

“Hope on, hope ever, you are children of the Great Spirit and can never die. Your life will go through many changes, like the seasons; your light will shine brighter with each change and you will share increasingly in the process of co-creation and the outpouring of love, unconditional love, to the whole of creation.”