The Four Seasons of Life

As with nature, our life is also composed of seasons. Learn how.

Photo by Vincentiu Solomon on Unsplash

Have you ever noticed the perfection that exists in nature? An indisputable proof of the harmony that governs the universe.

As in a cosmic poem, God rhymes human life with the rhythm of the infinite.

When we are born, it is spring that bursts with its perfumes and colors. The skin is lush, hair and eyes shine, the smile is easy. Everything translates hope and joy.

It's the delicate spring, like the children who delight our eyes with their grace. At this time, everything ends in smiles. No worries can disturb the soul.

Then comes youth corresponding to the height of Summer. A season of warmth and beauty, blessed by occasional rain. The Sun warms souls, and promises are renewed.

Young people believe that they can do anything. They are impetuous, vibrant. That they will make revolutions in the world, and will fix all mistakes. They bring the soul warmed by enthusiasm. 

Your strong impulses can also be fleeting... like summer storms.

But life moves quickly.

And one day – what a surprise – the strength of Summer is gone.

Then Fall arrives. A look in the mirror shows us wrinkles, our hair begins to turn gray. But that is also a sign that the mind achieved maturity, the achievement of a more complete vision of existence.

During this season, the word is plenitude.

Autumn refers to a time of reflection and profound beauty. Its inspiring landscapes – with golden leaves and skies of incredible colors – perfectly reflect this moment in our lives. In the Autumn of existence there is no longer childish naivety or the uncontained impetus of youth, but there is accumulated wisdom, experience and a lot of willingness to live each moment, enjoying every second.

But, one day, Winter comes.

The most unsettling of seasons. Many fear winter, as they fear old age. But how can they forget the mysterious beauty of snow-covered landscapes?

Time to slow down? Partly.

But Winter is also the time to share experiences. Who said old age is sad? It can be warm and happy, like a winter night in front of the fireplace, in the company of loved ones.

Old age can also be hot chocolate, kind smiles, peaceful reading, generosity with children and grandchildren. Just don't let the cold chill your soul.

If we learn to enjoy the beauty of each season, we will always be happy. From Spring we carry spontaneity and joy throughout our lives. From Summer, lightness and willpower. From Autumn, reflection. From Winter, the experience that is shared with loved ones.

Final Thoughts

The message of the seasons in our lives goes further.

If you think about old age with sadness, dismiss that idea immediately. Remember that after winter spring comes again.

As everything starts again, we too will start over. Our trajectory does not end at the end of winter. There are other lives, with new seasons. And again, we will all begin in the spring of age. After death, we will resurface on other planes of life. And we will be full, we will be beautiful. That's enough to love.

Love a lot.

Love people, flowers, animals, the worlds that revolve serenely. Love, finally, Divine Creation. Love so much that life becomes an eternal spring.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, available on CD Momento Espírita, v.13, ed. FEP.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

Practicing Kindness

Being kind is the secret to being happy and healthy. Would you know why?

Photo by Matt Collamer on Unsplash

That morning, like most others, the train was packed. A lot of impatient people complaining about everything and everyone made the atmosphere not only stuffy, but also unbreathable.

It was when, with great difficulty, an elderly woman entered the vehicle and leaned on the seats as she could. The predictable happened as an elderly person enters crowded public transit: most of those seated sleep as quickly as possible.

However, a six-year-old boy, nudged his father for permission to leave the place where he was. The father, indifferent, told him to stay seated. But the boy, aloud, invited her to come and sit in his place.

An awkward silence ensued in the collective, while the lady, gratefully, took the seat offered to her.

Kindness and Happiness

We have observed that, in the midst of countless possibilities of choice, those who opt for cooperation and ethics build healthier and more lasting relationships.

Being kindness a form of love, studies have shown that kind people increase their happiness because this virtue is linked to the gene that releases the hormone responsible for well-being, dopamine.

A popular saying says that kindness breeds kindness.

Kindness turns out to be contagious too, motivating others to be equally kind. When we are kind to others, we contribute to making the environment in which we live better.

Kindness is also a form of attention, respect and love. Kind people show courtesy, are polite and attentive making their relationships more human and irradiating those feelings to those around them.

Kindness and Health

Another benefit of being kind is that due to our pre-disposition to help others, we are likely to improve our mental health. Our immune system tends to be better, because there is a direct relationship between well-being, happiness and health.

In other words, when we are kind we help and care for others and for ourselves.

Putting ourselves in the other's place is always the best way to act. By being attentive to the needs of other, we conquer the awareness that what makes us happy and make others happy too.

Final Thoughts

Let us be kind giving our best to others and we will see how more complete and happy we'll be.

As kindness stems from the awakening of conscience, when we are willing to develop this virtue we also gain joy, lovingness, affability, friendship, tenderness, gratitude, respect, tenderness and tolerance.

The gesture of kindness is undoubtedly a big step towards changing a situation of neglect, indelicity or indifference this world so much needs.

Think about it!

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on October 07, 2017.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

The first impression

It's commonly said that the first impression is the last. Turns out that this couldn't be more wrong. Here's why

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

It's commonly said that the first impression is the last.

While it's true that whenever we meet someone we imagine things and even make a preliminary analysis about them, the first impression certainly reflects the haste with which we judge others.

But can we, at the first moment, evaluate the character of others?

Indeed but caution is needed on this first impression as it may lead to false conclusions. For example, shy or reserved people can be considered unfriendly at first glance while mocking or light-hearted creatures may appear only cheerful, in superficial contact.

What is important is that before getting to know someone deeply, we avoid forming firm and irrevocable opinions about their character. Keep an open mind for a possible review of the initial impact that someone has on us.

Take your time before judging others

Sometimes we experience an influx of immediate and profound sympathy for a new friend. However, it's convenient to get to know them better before opening our life and hearts to them

In other occasions we may even feel an immediate dislike for others. In the same way, we must not close the door to understanding just based on a hunch. After controlling the first impulse, try to understand the essence of the other person before labeling them as good or bad.

Emotional Caution

We must learn to use reason in our social life. Neither too close, nor ice cold before getting to know better who arrives in our lives.

An because we often allow great intimacies to strangers who we immediately sympathized with, it's important to remind about emotional caution. Emotional caution does not mean being a bad or cold person. It's just a preventive protection against the world we live in, full of ignorance and violence.

Disappointments

And how to handle disappointments?

For example, we received guest in our house, told our secrets without any caution and then, we felt entitled to say that the new friend let us down. Turns out that people are not always what they appear to be.

Others are what they are, not what we think they should be. No one has an obligation to meet our expectations since the expectations are ours. We are the ones who created them, in our absence of discernment.

We are all fallible because we are human. When we say that someone has disappointed us, we must think that the responsibility for the disappointment is ours. It's us who created an illusion from the other person.

Educate our emotions

It is important that we educate our emotions so we don't expect more from others than they can give.

It is also necessary to know others well before qualifying them one way or another. Only when we perceive their defects and virtues will we be able to identify their intentions.

Final Thoughts

Perceiving the difficulties of others, and yet loving them is a sign of emotional and spiritual maturity. Let us therefore take care of the first impression that others make on us.

With time, discretion and discernment, we will discover the people with whom we have a real affinity. Knowing the other person well is the best we can do to love them without prejudice or unrealistic expectations.

Let us educate our emotions so that we are not driven by impulses.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on July 13, 2018.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

The Spring of Feelings

Every year when Spring comes, we're euphoric with the colors and the heat but quickly our happiness fades away. Why?

Photo by Arno Smit on Unsplash

Spring is a season that usually cheers and inspires a large number of people.

Few are indifferent to it. It is remembered as the season of flowers, as they tend to be exuberant at that time, brightening our eyes with a spectacle of colors.

The air is filled with the aroma of flowers and provokes feelings of well-being, often bringing us good memories of other springs, as the sense of smell has a strong connection with memory.

Birds begin their mating season and, singing, invite a partner to continue their species, perpetuating life.

In the air, pollen from flowers looks for similar specimens so that the visual spectacle continues. Without a doubt it is a season in which there is a real explosion of life in nature!

And we human beings are infected with such exuberance. The higher temperatures invite you to go outside, unlike the frequent winter self-absorption. We take care of our gardens, we prune our trees so that their branches are stronger. 

Back to routine

But after the first weeks, the colors of nature no longer attract our attention because they are no longer new. We go back to the routine. A new winter must make us wish for spring again.

Unfortunately, we behave similarly in our affective relationships. When we meet someone who awakens love in us, we initially feel immense joy, and we start to behave differently.

Just like in the spring, our feelings feel like flowers opening up. Our attitudes towards the loved one are delicate. Our voice has a tone of tenderness like that of a bird.

However, we often let time transform that feeling into routine. We forget to fertilize and water it, as it is no longer a novelty. We allow the heat of discussions and, after them, the cooling of distance and inattention.

So, just as with seasons, we wait for a new spring although we do not strive for it forgetting that we are fully responsible for our feelings.

True love is solid. It gives shelter and security like a leafy tree under which we take shelter. The tree that once was a seed that germinated in fertile soil, which was watered by rain, which gradually took root until it became solid and beautiful and no longer bends to the wind.

Final Thoughts

When we love, we emit thoughts that change our physiognomy, putting a constant smile on our face.

By emitting good thoughts, we modify the energy around us. The energy in which our body is immersed. No wonder that science has shown that those who love maintain their health, delay the aging of their cells and live longer.

Let us always remember that love, as a flower, deserves care, attention and affection. If we love but do not express these feelings in a balanced and constant way, someday it may be gone.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on September 03, 2019.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

Why are we always sad?

No matter what one person has, where they live or how much money they have. People are always sad. Why?

Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash

The American boy Jaden Hayes is seven years old and has several reasons to be sad: he was orphaned by a father at the age of four and his mother recently died of a sudden illness.

Despite this, there are no tears on the face of the little one who, even though misses his parents, embraced the daily mission of making people smile.

"Why are people always sad?", he asked his aunt, Barbara, with whom he lives.

With the intention of collecting smiles and spreading joy wherever he goes, he started ​​buying rubber duckies and other small toys to handle them over to people with sad expressions. He convinced his aunt to buy a bag full of toys and accompany him on tours of downtown Savannah, Georgia, where they live.

When giving toys to people, they usually ask what it is about and the boy explains: It's for you to smile!

No one who can resist the proposal and the charming smile they receive from the boy. The reactions are diverse, but some in particular deeply touch those who witness the spontaneous gesture.

In the project, called The Smile Experiment, Jaden has already achieved around five hundred smiles and has an ambitious goal: thirty-three thousand others.

In interviews, the boy expresses that he suffers and misses his mother a lot, but it is clear that he has learned to live with this pain in a very special way.

The aunt says that the smiles he receives and the hugs he gives have done him very well in this process of dealing with his parents' absence.

A lesson for all of us, certainly.

Why are we always sad?

But why are we always sad? It was the question of that brave and inspired heart.

Why do we allow ourselves to be so easily overwhelmed by the problems of our lives, to the point that even a small event, an argument or a frustration would generate a state of discouragement and sadness?

Why do we value  so much reasons for crying, when reasons for smiling are so numerous in life?

Why do we carry a frown, eyes worried, as if living were a great burden?

Many of us have serious issues to deal with. We face difficult challenges in the family, at work, we need material support. However, is life just that? Is it impossible to live a better little even with all these struggles?

Yes, it is possible. However, there are no magic formulas.

Final Thoughts

Each of us must find strength in our intimacy. Some will go around looking for smiles, understanding that the more we give, the more we receive, and the happier we become.

Others will find a secure base in the connection with a larger energy, understanding that the Universe is governed by perfect laws and that the One we call Father, is a deeply loving intelligence.

Still others will recognize these two as fundamental supports to move forward.

Don't give up! There will be a day when sadness will give way to happiness and our hearts will be filled with love and joy.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on December 18, 2015.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

Vibrating Bridge

How do you deal with the challenges and stresses of the modern life?

Photo by Andre Xavier on Unsplash

She returned from school, where she worked for many years. She was discouraged by the routine situation. The violence in the children's actions and words left her actionless, after so many attempts to resolve them.

Every day she worked hard doing her best. She guided and corrected their attitudes so that the children would become kinder to each other, so that they felt like family.  However, she saw that none of her efforts was effective.

Discouraged, she sat on the bench in the garden and cried. Her father, seeing her there, came over and stroked her hair in silence. With her beloved presence, she allowed herself to give more freedom to emotions. She hugged him and let the tears flow.

When she calmed down a little, he spoke calmly: "I don't know what your problem is, but we can establish a vibrating bridge to the sky, from where you will come calm and tranquility to solve what ails you." Remember what we have been taught: "Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you will get it and what you will grant will be what you ask for."

She smiled slightly and, because she still felt a little tormented, she asked him to formulate the prayer for her, for her work and for the children at school. Right there, among the flowers, he prayed. She, following her words mentally, felt her heart calm and hope to be reborn.

Later, they went into the house, had tea and continued to talk. She found that she was now calmer and more confident, envisioning other possible solutions.

The mechanism of prayer

It is important to know the mechanism of prayer. Jesus, the sweet Rabbi of Galilee, used to walk away from the crowd in order to pray to the Father in silence.

An enlightened creature wrote: prayer is the emanation of well-directed thinking and rich in vibratory content, establishing the creature's exchange with the Creator. Therefore, thoughts driven by love and charged with positive energies can perform real miracles.

Prayer not only dilutes negative energies, it renews the moral forces of being, saturating it with higher vibrations that alter mental, emotional and organic landscapes.

The act of praying is an expression of humility towards life and an awakening of the conscience to understand the goals to which one must give oneself.

Jesus sought prayer as an effective resource to be linked to the Father, maintaining the exchange for the inspiration and courage that he was always clothed with. Through the constant practice of prayer, He left us an example that we must not abandon.

Final Thoughts

Through sincere prayer, we are in tune with the spheres of light, from which we draw the energies that provide emotional balance and inner peace, which allows us to better reason and act.

A sincere prayer opens the windows of the soul and expands our possibilities of inspiration.

Allow ourselves the exercise of prayer, in all situations of our life. Pray and let yourself be guided by the Celeste Pastor who will send you superior support in any circumstance through this vibrating bridge, called prayer.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on May 06, 2016.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

New Year

For most people, the new year is the best moment for big changes. But year after year they fail in finding happiness. Would you know why?

Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash

Today is the day that starts a New Year. It's a moment of joy and fellowship. We all want to start another year with renewed hopes.

The pleas, in general, are to have a lot of money in your pocket, health to give and sell. But if we have all this, will we be guaranteed a New Year full of happiness?

If God gives us health, what usually happens is that we try to end it in the name of parties. Be it with excesses in food, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, or other drugs no less harmful to health. We do not realize that our health depends on us. If we want a good year, we will have to do our part.

If we stop to analyze what the New Year means, we will notice that nothing changes externally. Everything remains as it was the day before. The sick remain ill, those in prison remain incarcerated, the unhappy remain unhappy, criminals continue to plot their crimes, and so on. It's us, and only us, who can build a better year, since a Happy New Year is built, not wanted.

How to have a happy new year

And how can we have a happy new year? If aim a good year we have to start today. As any investment we will harvest the results (or failures) of the previous years.

We will be able to build a good year if we work diligently in our moral reform, rethinking our values, correcting our mistakes, adjusting the direction of our private road. For example, if we start by changing our misbehaviors, we will certainly have a happier year.

Start thinking a little more about the people who live around you. If you open your eyes you'll see how much pain exists around you. If we work to build a better world, one day we will finally conquer the happiness we aim for.

The path to happiness

There is only one way to reach happiness. And that path was shown by Who really has authority, for having walked it. We know this someone as Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.

In the teaching Love God over all things and others as yourself is the key to true happiness. Jesus places us as a point of reference. That is why he recommends that we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Whoever loves is preserving health. Whoever loves himself does not bombard his body with harmful elements, nor the Spirit with anger, envy, jealousy.

Whoever loves God above all things, respects His creation, His laws and their peers because they know that we were all created by Him and that He loves us all.

Do you want a New Year full of happiness? Start by building it yourself.

Conclusion

The new period of time that begins, like so many others that have passed, will be full of opportunities. Whether to use them well or badly depends on each one of us. The river of opportunities passes through its waters without returning in the same circumstances.

Today will soon pass and we will call it yesterday, as tomorrow will soon be today, which will also become yesterday. And, without us realizing it, we will soon be calling this new year the old year.

May we all be able to enjoy the treasure of the minutes in the construction of the happy tomorrow that we desire, because eternity is made up of seconds.

Happy new year! 🙏♥🎉

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on January 1st, 2019.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

The poetry of life

Is your heart in life and love or in beauty, money and profit?

Photo by Luca Bravo on Unsplash

A poet acquired a piece of land in the middle of the mountains. A place to dream, write and inebriate the soul.

He didn't intend to touch anything. God, after all, had made everything so beautiful already. The stream of crystalline water descending from the top of the mountain forming waterfalls and icy backwaters. Ferns, aprons, profuse princess earrings. Green fields, embroidered with tiny flowers. And huge trees where all kinds of flowers grew.

A piece of heaven full of beauty and life.

But in this beautiful place, there was a bad hill. So bad that not even the grass would grow.

The poet looked at that land, apparently useless, and decided to give nature a helping hand.

He thought he could plant pine trees. A forest full of pine trees, with its crowning crowns, arms raised to the sky, as if asking for blessings.

He asked the local people but no one approved the idea. Pine trees, they said, would take a long time to grow. Why even bother planting them? As the poet was not so young, he was told that he would certainly not even see the grown pines.

Furthermore, you cannot cut trees here, they said. It is protected by law and cutting trees is a crime. So why plant pine trees if they cannot be cut? After all, only cut are they worth money as can they be sold.

The poet was advised to plant eucalyptus instead. They grow up fast, and make a profit on the third year.

The poet returned to his home thinking that he and his neighbors were from different worlds.

He was a being from the forest, unhurried, like the seeds placed in the soil. He wanted to see, small and enjoy the colorful and fragrant spectacle of the lush forest.

His neighbors though, only thought of quick profit, money in the bank. They only had commerce and business in mind. That's why they thought that planting an eucalyptus, a tree that can be cut in three years was much more important than a pine tree that cannot be cut in even fifty years!

And the poet reflected that men who only think about profit, lost the meaning and beauty of life.

He remembered those who look at a huge redwood forest and find that property inhabited only by trees is a terrible waste. In their concept, it would be much better to burn the entire forest and transform it into a luxurious condominium.

After thoughtful consideration the poet decided to plant pine trees. Whether he gets to see them grown up or not, it doesn't matter. It is important that he sowed hope and life that will be able to rejoice other eyes and hearts in the future.

Conclusion

Jesus taught us that wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Is your heart in life, beauty or profit?

Do you want a land full of wonders where our children can live, be enchanted and breathe fresh air or you are simply looking for a place to enjoy everything possible, as quickly as you can?

It only depends on you to decide whether to plant pine trees or eucalyptus in the land of your heart. 

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on April 24, 2017. 

See Also

• Weighted observation
  
• A Thinking Power
• Weighted observation
• Poverty and Wealth
• Divine Poem