Burning in the Learning

And so we cross the threshold. From the Harvest into the darkness. After the play of spirits on Halloween we now move into the close of the cycle. The growing year is finished, the end of the calendar year is swiftly approaching. It is essentially the end.

Our ancestors would know it's time to burn the withered plants in the fields, slaughter the livestock that will not be kept for next year. Time for rituals of purification, like walking between two huge bonfires to awaken the inner spirit while the outer world takes a rest.

We don't literally walk between bonfires anymore (I'm sure the fire marshall would have something to say about that) but how many bonfires did you encounter during this last cycle of growth? What have you been through in 2011, even just since spring?

Now is the time, as we move into the darkness, for looking back. The time for reflection on this most recent past. It's time to harvest the nuggets of wisdom offered. The lessons offered (probably again) by the universe. Now is the time to LEARN from the experiences. And the time to drop the rest.

Remember that shedding away? It's time, burn off what is unnecessary (the storyline) and keep what is most important to your development as a human walking this life (the lesson).

I am thinking of this time of year as a time to sort of brand myself with all that I want to keep next cycle. A time to clear away the debris and wreckage, and to chrystalize my learning into simple nuggets of my version of Truth... then to burn it in. To use my practice as a cauldron of repetition and remembering it again and again like a mantra handed down from the universe so that I'll actually GET it this time.

For me some of the lessons of the year are:

• If it is worth having, it is worth working for -- the effort is consistent and never ending
• Beauty, Humor, Play, Joy, and Creativity are infinitely important
• Intentions and Dreams are powerful especially when linked to your efforts
• Radical Acceptance is the only stance to take in life
• The universe knows much more than I ever can, Relax, All is coming
• I have a Voice and it is POWERFUL

What have been some of your biggest lessons this year? What do you want to remember as you move into the next cycle?