It is so quiet this morning that it seems like a gift. Of course, there is a symphony of birds all around me, but it’s the mourning doves that I am taking comfort in. Their coo feels like a bit of a balm to the rawness that I have been feeling the last few weeks. In the height of the summer heat and intense energy it can bring, I can feel the grinding begin. Tomorrow is the celebration of Lammas, the first harvest of grain. It is the time when new life turns mature and will complete its cycle as it is cut down to be prepared for food. All the work we have done this year to plant and nurture the seeds that have hopefully turned into thriving plants will be harvested so we may live another day, season, and cycle of life. Just like the grain that is harvested at this time, we too, feel the grinding of the mill stones. Like the plants we grow for food, we too experience the cycles of birth, life, and death with the hopes to be reborn again.
This summer, I am feeling the heat. I am feeling the intensity of life, the twists and turns, and the highs and lows it brings. And, I am also feeling the weight and grind of the mill stones. They will initiate the changes that we all go through as we shed one form and transform into another. Sometimes it is a welcomed exchange. We willingly let go of the binds that hold us back from our hopes and dreams. Sometimes, this process is long and difficult. The unknown path ahead of us is new and we do not know what to expect. Sometimes, we are not ready to let go and we can resist the process. Grief and sorrow can also chain us to our past, making it difficult to move forward. If there is one constant in our lives, it is that nothing stays the same. Everything changes. Time marches on. Cycles begin and end. New life is born, grows, and then dies to be transformed. It is the nature of things and we must play our part.
I think I am ready to be ground down. I have met my point of surrender and today, I willingly submit. The churning and healing are parts of the process. The transformation will continue if I work with it. I have found that when I resist, it is more difficult. When I ignore it, it haunts me. So, working with these energies is what I must do. Part of this process is to also rest and find solace where and when I can. Maybe that’s why the mourning doves are so soothing today. Their coo helps ease the pain of what we all go through. As a dove, they also bring the spirit and essence of peace, reminding that peace is a gift we give to ourselves.
May you find the peace and solace within you as we prepare to be transformed through the mill of life.
Blessed Be.
Renee Bedard
The Whispering Crow
The Whispering Crow 