Awakening to Wholeness is a series of prompts, reflections, and teachings about how holding the tension of opposites can help us to heal division and experience wholeness. If you feel moved to share your own reflections, we invite you to email us with the subject line “Wisdom of Opposites” or tag us on social media with #EHoPWisdomOfOpposites.
In the second book of scripture (nature), spring and fall teach us of the wisdom of transitions. Each, in its own way, offers distinct insights.
Spring, in preparation for the fullness of summer, teaches us patience and hope. Each time the days vacillate between warm breezes and cold rains, our memory of the fullness of summer’s heat alights, and we wait through the oscillations, learning to navigate the ups and downs, the good and the bad. The disappointment of cold makes the warmth all the sweeter.
Is it not similar, when we look around at the world and witness the oscillations of good action and bad action among our species, other human beings? Too often, we are disillusioned by the greed, hate, ignorance, and fear found in those among us. At the same time, the smallest acts of goodness, kindness, courage, respect, and love enlighten even the days of disillusion.
Then somewhere in the cycles of back and forth, we find the imprint of a seal of hope, born by patience. Despite the cold, warmth always comes. Despite the disillusion, the clarity of goodness always washes over our lenses. Indeed, spring teaches us lessons on patience and hope. No wonder, then, that the Christian Paschal mystery is enacted every year in this season.
Then, there is fall, also a time of transition. In preparation for the emptiness of winter, fall teaches us lessons on how to let go. Paradoxically, the crisp air of fall, and its familiar scent, is actually a premonition of the decay of death, a sign that the time of stillness and rest will soon be upon us.
In contrast to the bitter cold of spring, the warm, snappy air of fall tends to comfort. We pull out cozy clothes and fill our hot drinks with warm spices. It is good to offer and receive comfort when death is pending. Where as spring teaches patience and hope, fall points to comfort and compassion. No wonder, then, that Christian families celebrate the communion of saints in this season.
Together, spring and fall teach us the wisdom patterns of creation, each in its distinct way. May each of us find wisdom in the natural and ordinary rhythms of our daily lives!
Contemplative Questions
We offer the following questions as prompts to help you reflect on the presence of opposites in your spiritual practice and your life.
- Can you think of a time when spring has taught you patience or hope?
- Can you think of a time when fall has taught you about letting go?
- How else have you found wisdom in the natural and ordinary rhythms of your daily life?
Join the conversation! If you feel moved to share your reflections, we invite you to email us with the subject line “Wisdom of Opposites” or tag us on social media with #EHoPWisdomOfOpposites.
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Christine Luna Munger
Christine Luna Munger, PhD currently serves as the director of the Episcopal House of Prayer. She previously served as Coordinator of the Spiritual Direction Certificate and Professor of Theology at St. Catherine University. She regularly writes, teaches, and leads group prayer sits at EHoP.
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