Opening Doors

How is healing, recovery and personal evolution similar to the seasonal tradition of the Advent Calendar?

The word Advent, translated as "coming" is believed to arise from the Latin word Adventum. We know it in our current culture as a countdown to Christmas, typically as a daily "opening" of a calendar with a gift inside. It is a tradition of marking the passage of time which transcends the general use of a calendar as it can also be a profound introspection into the spiritual realm as we both mark time and connect with that which is also Ineffable.

Spiritual processes and healing is much like this: We mark and punctuate our days in a very temporal way, but also reflect upon that which is Greater than ourselves and also reflective of that which is beyond space and time - the Eternal. Meditators know this space to be Timeless, and if we can access this part of ourselves on a regular basis, we also slip into that Timless-ness and Ephemeral beauty of Knowing - this is the space in which true Healing occurs when we "open" into that which is more than our physical selves.

The Advent calendar can be a seasonal portal into this same Essence: An opening into a moment of contemplation that acknowledges the intersection of Now and the Ephemeral nature of our Beings, much like an hourglass where each grain is a moment in time that represents introspection, reflection and a reawakening to who we really are in the Moment and on the Spectrum celebrating Love, Peace, Joy, and Grace - all celebrations of the Season, but of our true natures.

In this, we can see that the Advent calendar is akin to a daily practice of Awareness: A reflection that we are, in and of ourselves, experiencing a passage of "moments in time" that have both an ebb and a flow.

Perhaps in this we can see the symbolic nature of Advent itself as a greater spiritual practice that calls for Reverence, Grace, and above all, an alignment with the spiritual and sacred nature of life, our Humanity and our connection to the world and other Beings around us.

It is in the recognition of the consecutive passage of moments that we also come to know our true selves. And it is in this that we can access the poignancy of our Ephemeral natures when we allow ourselves to pause, reflect, and stop searching. It is all already there.