Hello Readers,
Much of my inspiration for writing articles comes from listening to the radio whilst driving to and fro and on this particular weekend morning the theme for discussion was about being aware of the forces of nature and the beautiful world we live in. There was a lot said about the recent freak and scary weather conditions and how our landscapes have been so dramatically changed with the powerful forces of nature, and then a very interesting guest speaker was introduced on the show who happened to be a Jewish Rabbi.
He was talking about looking forward to celebrating the festival of Tu Bishvat, which I found fascinating and thought I would share this with you all this week.
Tu Bishvat is the 15th Shevat on the Jewish Calendar, celebrated this year on Thursday , January 16th , 2014is the day that marks’ The New Year for Trees’. This is the season in which the earliest blooming trees in the Land of Israel emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new fruit bearing cycle.
The day is marked by the eating of fruit, particularly the kinds that are singled out by The Torah in its praise of the bounty of the Holy Land such as grapes, figs, pomegranates, dates and olives.
There is a lovely story about a an old man planting a fig tree. When asked if he really expected to live long enough to consume the fruits of his labour? He replied ‘I was born into a world flourishing with ready pleasures. My ancestors planted for me and I am planting for my children’.
The act of planting is an act of faith. To bury a fertile seed and then walk away with no way of tracking growth and progress for months and years to come demands equanimity and deep rooted trust in the powers of some greater universal force than any of us can possibly comprehend and the outcome is often very different than what we initially imagined and can only be described as miraculous and massively transformational.
Just as a seed must first rot before it can begin to generate new beginings, a person intent on self growth and character evolution must be ready to undergo revolutionary change to the point that the old ‘I’, the ego is totally effaced. Only in the atmosphere of humility and acceptance can the new ‘I’ be allowed to develop.
The end results can be truly astounding. Once a person recognises the importance of cutting out the ‘deadwood’ in their lives and this can imply absolutely anything at all, that new shoots of life can begin to blossom. This signifies new starts and new beginings. It is the realisation that Springtime is only around the corner. Its a time look ahead to lighter mornings, lighter evenings and a time to plant our gardens, thus a brand new cycle commences.
Until next week
Love and Light,
Linda and The Lulas xx
