The seed of awakening for December at Awakening Ways Spiritual Community is becoming. The word becoming is the present participle of the word become, which means to come into existence or come to be. It is synonymous with growing, going, and turning. Becoming is the perfect seed to plant for December as we enter the coldest time of year.
We witness a becoming in nature at least four times each year with the changing of the seasons. The most abrupt, in my opinion, is the becoming of winter. Tuning in to the changing of the seasons reminds me that there is a divine pattern or order to everything.
As the change of seasons occurs, we adapt to each one. Summer gradually becomes fall, and we pull out the socks, boots, sweaters, and pumpkin spice everything. As fall becomes winter, enter the beanies, space heaters, jackets, scarves, and eggnog everything. In spring, we start putting all the warming items away. There’s a change occurring. The seasons’ changing process is gradual, beginning before the solstice or equinox and continuing after. All of nature is consistently becoming more of itself – just like us.
In his latest book, The Wisdom Pattern: Order, Disorder, Reorder, American Franciscan priest and writer on spirituality, RIchard Rohr describes the pattern of the changes we experience in our lives.
There is an order to one season that we adapt to, which doesn’t apply to the other. We wear shorts and cooler clothes in the summer; as fall approaches, we may find ourselves out and about without a coat that we now need as the weather has cooled down. We feel a little disorderly without that coat as we let go of summer.
Next time we make sure we have a jacket or sweater with us when we leave the house, just in case – you have now reordered and adjusted to the becoming of fall. Just as the seasons transform mother earth, we change with the seasons of our lives. What constitutes a season of life for us? Every transition, whether tiny or significant. Adjustments are required as the pattern continues throughout our lives.
When we surrender to the power and presence of Divine Love within, anything is possible. Indeed, now is an excellent time to tune in, be still, and yield to the Divine. It is mighty and magnificent, much more potent than ego. In our surrender, we experience unity with all of life.
As Richard Rohr observed, “We are indeed ‘saved’ by knowing and surrendering to this universal pattern of reality. Knowing the full pattern allows us to let go of our first order, trust the disorder, and, sometimes even hardest of all—to trust the new reorder. Three big leaps of faith for all of us, and each of a different character.”
You are becoming more of who you came here to be, more yourself than ever before. May you experience Divine comfort and love as you evolve.
And so it is.
