“In the hero stories, the call to go on a journey takes the form of a loss, an error, a wound, an unexplainable longing, or a sense of a mission. When any of these happens to us, we are being summoned to make a transition. It will always mean leaving something behind,…The paradox here is that loss is a path to gain.”
― David Richo, How to Be an Adult: A Handbook on Psychological and Spiritual Integration
The changing seasons are regularly occurring transitions. They happen every year — four times. Yet each transitions is different, with each season having it’s own unique blessings and challenges.
As I get older I find myself more and more in tune with the changing seasons. Perhaps when I was younger I thought I was too busy to listen to messages from our mother the earth, or maybe I thought doing so would make me seem weird. As you get older, being weird doesn’t matter as much.
While I love Spring and Summer with clear days and lots of time spent outside by the lake, I have to admit that Fall and Winter have been more productive. As the temperatures cool and my thoughts turn to naps and nice bowls of piping hot homemade soup I also feel my mind and body start to calm down and get ready to receive inspiration and to work.
Winter is the time much of my art gets created. For me preparation for winter includes not only winterizing the house and car, stocking the pantry and getting out the winter clothes. My winter preparations would not be complete without stocking up on art supplies.
Listen to the wisdom of the changing seasons. This is mother earth’s way of preparing us for what lies ahead. We already know what we need to weather the upcoming changes. We just have to listen. These regular transitions can help prepare us for the unexpected ones if we just let them.
“Everything has seasons, and we have to be able to recognize when something’s time has passed and be able to move into the next season. Everything that is alive requires pruning as well, which is a great metaphor for endings.” —Henry Cloud
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/seasons
You may be familiar with these words from the beautiful poetry of the third chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible. Or perhaps you are more familiar with the musical setting by Pete Seegar known as Turn, Turn, Turn or popular renditions by Judy Collins or The Byrds.
The Espirational.com theme for October is “Transitions.”
The world around us is in a constant state of change, often forcing us to change too. Scattered among the changes are the major life transitions we all face throughout life, from birth to death with some good ones like moving from childhood to adolescence and adolescence to adulthood, marriage (and sometimes divorce), aging, career changes and spiritual awakening scattered in between.
So how do we navigate this maze of transitions throughout our life? This is what we will explore during October here at Espirational.com
Music conveys messages that can be life changing. Powerful song lyrics can help us change our minds, rethink prejudices, find strength to hang in there or move forward, provide comfort and make us realize we are not alone.
Scars to Beautiful by Alessia Care does all of the above. Please take a minute to watch this amazing video.
This month at Espirational.com we are exploring music. This will be a fun month with daily quotes, blog posts, videos and and a special feature. You won’t want to miss my interview with singer/songwriter Bill Tonnis coming up on September 15.
Whether or not you think you are a musician or even a music lover, we all go through life surrounded by music. It is all around us!
Advertisers know music is a way to get their messages directly into the thoughts and minds of consumers. Remember the famous “jingles” from the commercials of the 60’s and 70’s? Does “you deserve a break today” still pop up in your mind for no reason? Do you still want to sing the “I’d like to buy the world a coke” version of “I’d like to teach the world to sing?”
Music is also used in religious services to inspire, teach and guide us to oneness with the divine. Hymns and choruses often come to my mind and surprisingly, they are usually exactly what I need at the moment.
Politicians even use music to try to stir people up and encourage us to vote or take other action. Candidates now sometimes use a “theme song” that is played at their campaign rallies and other events. Songs like The Star Spangled Banner or God Bless America have been used to unite or even divide us as Americans.
So this month is all about music I hope you will follow us at Espirational.com as we explore music.