I’ve been thinking about fall, personal growth, spiritual health, and preparing for winter. Before now I had not really thought about my spirit in seasons before, or how the natural order of seasons affects my spirit. I’ve gone through experiences that felt like seasons in my soul: growth, harvest, death, rebirth. But those feel personal, and have not always aligned with the seasonal changes in the world around me. Since the mind, body, and soul are so wholly connected it makes sense that as my mind and body walk through these physical seasons that my spirit would as well.
The Greek word Psuche (soo-kay) means breath, life, spirit, essence. Like all aspects of humans the psuche grows too. But what does that look like? In my experience the spirit/soul is filled with the more delicate and covert things. Where you might experience the physical growth of 2in, or being able to bench press 150lbs; spiritual growth is choosing maturity where one used to race into folly. Where mental growth is more about capacity for, and application of, knowledge; spiritual is about having the ability to be, to connect that knowledge to a greater purpose. My faith practice says that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. Therefore I am taking account of these elements as I process my growth this year. How have you grown spiritually this year?
What are you doing with the harvest? This is a tough one for me because this year I have grown in the essence of my being. I don’t necessarily want to be as vulnerable as sharing these intimate places of growth with anyone requires. So I am challenged because harvest isn’t just about sustaining through winter, harvest is about community. When I share my growth with others they learn about themselves, they are challenged to grow; to share and celebrate growth; and to prune out the dead in themselves. As I am when they share with me.
Winter is coming, how are you preparing for it? Winter is most often equated with death, and we all need old parts of our self to die. The parts that no longer benefit us. The parts that no longer are us, but that we are forced to wear because we once did, and people might not recognize us without them. Winter is also a time to rest, restore, and reconnect. We can prepare for that by bringing in the harvest now!
Want to be more proactive in your self care? Get your free resource here!
