Recently the Vernal Equinox fulfilled the promise of the return of the light from the darkness of winter. Soon after, Easter morning fulfills the promise of the return of the light from the darkness of the tomb. The cycle of birth/death/rebirth is reflected throughout nature and in the scriptures of the world’s great spiritual traditions. We see examples such as caterpillars surrendering to the chrysalis and emerging as butterflies, and like Jonah spending three days in the belly of a big fish before emerging to answer the call of God.
We are each born and reborn infinite times in our journey into being. The transformation process can be described in three stages, often symbolized by three days. In the first stage, we surrender our old definition of self into the care of God. This is the Good Friday experience (“Into thy hands I commit my spirit.”) In the second stage we rest. We allow the sacred design encoded within us to unfold, coming into completeness in the fullness of time.
In the third stage, we are reborn into a clearer way of perceiving ourselves and the world. This is Easter morning, the dawning awareness that death does not exist, that we are never alone, and that all loss is an illusion.
We experience repeated cycles of transformation--some small, others life-changing. To ease the process of surrender, we remember that we already live in a state of grace--one breath follows another, one day follows another. We have faith in the invisible energies that maintain our bodies and cause our planet to circle the sun.
In your own life, when you are facing a “dark night of the soul,” remember that you have been perfectly created—perfect in mind, body and spirit. Have faith in yourself and have faith in the invisible energies that guide and comfort you.
This Easter morning, allow the light of your inner Christ to emerge and bless the world!
Unlimited blessings,
Rev. Carla