As we at Prairiewoods focus on shifting our attention from the pandemic to #PanDeepening, we are looking at meditations, readings and activities that help us go deeper and get more centered within ourselves and in our God. In today’s PanDeepening, let’s slow down, quiet our minds and listen to the words of a gifted Celtic writer, John O’Donohue. I invite you to find a quiet place to sit, preferably where you can see the beauty of nature expressed in a tree. Put your feet firmly on the floor, letting them feel like roots burrowing beneath you. Then take a few deep breaths before reading on.
In his book Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom, John O’Donohue writes about the four seasons of the heart. We may think of the seasons of our life only in connection with our age—for example, I am middle aged, so I may see myself in summer, in the flow of a balanced, textured life. However, we can also be in various seasons throughout our life, regardless of our age. These are the seasons of the heart. As you listen to John O’Donohue’s words, I encourage you to try to determine what season your heart is currently in.
“Spring is a youthful season; it comes forth in a rush of life and promise, hope and possibility … Consequently, springtime in your soul is a wonderful time to undertake some new adventure, some new project, or to make some important changes in your life … You are in the flow of your own growth and potential. Springtime in the soul can be beautiful, hopeful, and strengthening.” Take a moment to think about the ways in which you are in the flow of your own potential.
“In summertime, nature is bedecked with color. There is great lushness everywhere, a richness and depth of texture. Summertime is a time of light, growth, and arrival … Thus summertime in your soul is a time of great balance. You are in the flow of your own nature. You can take as many risks as you like, and you will always land on your feet. There is enough shelter and depth of texture around you to completely ground, balance and mind you.” How are you feeling fully supported by the balance and security found in summer? Are you ready to take on new challenges? What might those challenges be?
Fall “is harvest, the homecoming of the seeds’ long and lonely journey through darkness and silence under the earth’s surface … Correspondingly, when it is autumn in your life, the things that happened in the past, or the experiences that were sown in … your heart, almost unknown to you, now yield their fruit. Autumn-time in a person’s life can be a time of great gathering. It is a time for harvesting the fruits of your experiences.” What fruits of your experiences are ready to be harvested? What do you need to do to harvest them?
“In wintertime, nature withdraws. A tree loses all its leaves and retires inward. When it is wintertime in your life, you are going through pain, difficulty or turbulence. At such times it is wise to follow the instinct of nature and withdraw into yourself … You have to lie low and shelter until this bleak, emptying time passes on.” In this time of social isolation, do you find yourself in a period of hibernation, withdrawing inward? By lying low now, what can you give new life to in the future?
“These are the four seasons of the heart.”
—John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
What comes to you as you hear John O’Donohue’s words about the seasons of the heart? Do you feel like you are clearly in one season or another? If you, like me, feel closest to the Creator when creating, consider drawing or painting a tree to represent the season of your heart. Take the time to simply be in that season, to create from a position of acceptance and understanding rather than resistance. Do you see anything in your completed tree that you didn’t realize you were feeling?
—Andi Lewis, Prairiewoods marketing coordinator