Spring Equinox, 2008

When the alarm rang at 6 am the other morning, we found ourselves embraced even before we became fully conscious. "Welcome back My Love!" After another night filled with dream travels to distant shores and other worlds we were so happy to be back on this wonderful planet Earth. I dreamt of a place where I could communicate with animals and there was a cross between kangaroos and dogs used for herding sheep. "Kangaroos are such amazing creatures," Laura whispers. "And sloths and ant eaters. This world is filled with the most amazing animals isn't it?" "Yes and once every 30 million years or so something like comet Swift-Tuttle comes along and cleans the slate so the cycle of evolution can begin anew. There is something sobering and at the same time wondrous and exciting about such a cosmic cycle."

"What a wonderful world!" Laura called out as she jumped out of bed to look for the cd that contained that song. Stripped of my pajamas, making my way to the bathroom Laura was beckoning me to join her in the living room where she was dancing. Together we sang and danced "What a wonderful World" until our tears made us laugh.

Life is so very precious, yet so much of our life is spent on the mundane. The memorable moments, those that take our breath away, or make us cry, or dance, or sing with unbridled joy, are so fleeting. We stop to look at the sunrise but then have to get going to start our day. We look at the view, but only for a minute. We listen to the bird song but just in passing. Taken together how much of our time on earth do these moments actually account for? A full day? A week? A month maybe? Could it be that some of us are lucky enough to have a whole year of these moments before we die?

By the time we reach 80 we have lived almost 30,000 precious days, over 700,000 hours, 42 million minutes most of which are uninspiring. I want to practice stopping the rush and adding to the minutes that are precious to me. I want to learn to recognize them and block out any fear or anxiety. I want to cherish life now and learn to manifest my love continuously every moment of every day in everything I do. The other day, on the construction site I realized what a hopeful act it is to build a house. Its like planting a tree in my orchard. The joy is in the doing but also in the hope that long after I have left this earth, someone will appreciate the fruits of my labour.   

While at anchor for two nights in a sheltered cove on the north edge of Prevost Harbor the almost full moon illuminated the passing clouds for most of the night. It reminded me that this year Easter falls almost immediately after the spring equinox. Interestingly the formula that determines when we celebrate Easter has nothing to do with when Jesus departed this earthly plane. Instead we choose to celebrate the renewal represented by the story of his re-birth during the first full moon after the spring equinox. 

The full moon can be seen to symbolize renewal as it begins another orbit around the earth. Likewise the spring equinox can be seen as a time of renewal since it marks the time when the earth's orbit combines with its tilt to lengthen the days beyond the reaches of night. Light has conquered the darkness of winter once again and all living things spring forth with hope. In our little corner of the planet this is the time when the tulips start to grow in earnest, when the daffodils and crocuses bloom, when the buds on the cherry and plum trees erupt in a glory of fragrant blossoms.

Four years ago Laura and I chose this special time of year to manifest the principles of our relationship in an agreement we signed at the lighthouse on Turn Point. It is also the time that two years ago Oma chose to embark on her new adventure as she left her body here to die, lifted her wings and rose to the sky. Now in 2008 the events of the US Presidential race bring another element of hope. The incredible public support that Barack Obama has gained for his message of fundamental change and renewal has brought hope that humanity as a whole is still capable of acting responsibly, honorably and wisely. Guy Dauncy recently wrote an article about the importance of hope. Here is the link. Enjoy.

Happy Spring Equinox, Happy Easter.