Places from Which to Grow

With the coming of spring, I've been thinking a lot about how, as the weather warms and we move into a cycle of new growth on the earth, we can grow as human beings as well.  For me, spring always welcomes new possibility, new promise, resolutions to do things just a little bit better than I have been and to begin those projects that,  for various reasons, I've been putting off.  Of course, this is easier said than done.  How many times do we tell ourselves we'll begin work on that new painting, start writing our book, nurture a new vegetable or flower garden, etc., only to find that time will not allow such endeavors. Or, maybe, we won't allow ourselves the time for things that we tell ourselves are just fanciful notions anyway, and not really as important as all of these other "important" things we should be doing instead.  And so, using the elements as a guide, I began to consider the ways in which our souls might be nurtured. 

Earth   

We all need fertile ground from which to grow.  This means that everything we put into our bodies should be feeding our souls in some way; not only the foods we eat but the books we read, the television we watch, the music we listen to, the friends we hang out with.  Eating healthy foods, including lots of fresh vegetables and fruit, helps to keep our bodies healthy and our minds sharp, both of which gives us more energy from which to create positive change in our lives and in the lives of others.  But what about the other things I mentioned? I'm a detective show junkie.  I  love watching t.v. shows such as Law and Order, The First 48, Buried Voices, Hidden Secrets, Cold Case Files.  Sometimes I wonder, though, how much the emotions these shows illicit effect me on a deeper level.  Oftentimes, these shows make me sad, a little depressed, and even fearful.  While they're interesting to watch sometimes, I'm beginning to believe that watching them too much takes me down dark alleyways I'd rather not find myself stuck in.  After watching several shows about people plotting to cause one another harm, I sometimes find myself wondering, as I go about my day, what horror might lie behind the half smile of the guy behind me at the supermarket check out, or what those people who live across the lake do behind those constantly closed window shutters.  It's good to be aware that not everyone on the planet is filled with love and light, but I don't want to be imagining that every off comment I hear implies murderous intent or that every shuttered window is hiding a serial killer or a methamphetamine lab.  I also don't want to be carrying the sadness these shows tend to impart around with me all day long.  

The books we read can feed our souls as well.  I love reading fantasy novels and gobble them up every chance I get.  I enjoy wandering through stories that involve magic, fairies, dragons, and creatures which I know only exist in the imaginations of the authors who write these books.  I also read lots of books about spirituality and history.  The books to which I'm attracted tend to go hand in hand somehow with the way I live my life.  For me, spirituality is very important, and reading books which deal with my own spiritual path, as well as other religious ideas, helps me to stay connected on that level.  Fantasy novels allow my mind to relax from the dramas of everyday life, and history books (I tend to read books about subjects such as Ireland) connect me to my roots and help me to better discover who I am and where I come from.  

Music helps us to get into moods-I love listening to bands like Flogging Molly or artists such as Lady Gaga and Pink when I work out,  new-agey types of artists when I'm meditating or trying to get into a magickal frame of mind, mellow music when I need to unwind.  Music has the power to effect us profoundly, which is why I mix up what I listen to.  Listening to loud, quick rhythm music constantly might cause me to become anxious, while lending me ear to too many sessions of soft rock might guide me toward depression.  It's all about balance.  

Air

Besides needing air for obvious reasons, we need open spaces, both in our minds and in our physicality, in which to roam and dream, to imagine and create.  We have to allow our imaginations to wander, our desires to take flight a bit, so that we can zero in on what is important to us and  follow the dreams which pull at our souls.  I believe that it's important to honor those callings which lead us in positive directions.  I have also found that ignoring the songs of my heart tend to mean that they will keep calling to me, in louder and louder voices, until I really listen and take action.  

We also need to understand that words have great power.  The words we speak can create and they can destroy.  We should take heed not to speak destructively, in part because the negative actions we design tend to come back to us as more negativity.  Besides that, cruel words and hurtful criticism of others will only lead to us feeling worse about ourselves.  Think about the last time you were feeling sad and you decided to do something nice for another person.  Didn't it make you think less about yourself and, thus, about whatever was giving your  mind over to the blues? I think that as human beings we're meant to heal one another, thus our spirits soar when we're speaking words of kindness and healing and tend to dive into the dirt when we doing the opposite. 

Fire  

Fire is passion.  Discover what you love and tend to the flame, nurturing it until it grows larger and becomes stronger. Keep tending to that flame, never allowing anyone else to dowse it with their nay-saying, jealousy or other types of negativity.  Warm yourself by the light of that passion, knowing that as you tend to that fire, which is also the fire of your soul, the light you create will radiate outward toward the other people in your life.  When we feel happy and content in our lives, we generally feel more inclined toward helping others to feel that way as well.

There is a Judaic expression of wrapping one's self in a holy flame.  Honor your spiritual path, basking in the bright warmth of it's fire and sleeping in the quiet calm of the shadows.  Allow it to move you down an ethical pathway, focus on it as you might the spear of light created by a burning candle during a meditative practice.   Thinking of your spiritual path as a comforting camp fire, know that the further away you move from the God/ess of your understanding, the colder you will become.  Conversely, when you are close to that fire you will be filled with a warmth capable of reaching down to the depths of your being.  

Water 

Water is the element associated with emotion, so that is what I will focus most on here.  Instead of being  rigid in your life, try to flow like water, strong but also bendable, flowing with the currents.  Don't allow emotion to completely rule your life, but honor your emotions; don't stuff feelings deep within, which creates sickness both emotional and physical.  There are many ways to deal with feelings of anger and sadness besides blurting hurtful words or taking action which could be damaging to yourself or others.  If you have an issue you need to work through, find a spiritual guide, meditate, engage in some therapy, try a support group.  Let the people around you know how much they mean to you through your actions.  Don't hesitate to gift someone with a kind word of encouragement or a much needed smile, or (when appropriate) a hug.  Use your passions to facilitate healing.  Water has the capacity to be gentle, strong, and powerful.  It can also be dangerous when it flows too quickly and in too much abundance,  plowing down everyone and anything in its path.  Don't ignore your emotions, but be wise in the actions you take when you are moved by them.

May your Sunday be peaceful and your week start off with joy and possibility!