Summer signifies a state of “fullness” of the church.
I know that summer will not officially arrive for a couple more weeks, but here in Pennsylvania it “feels” very much here. The sun is hot, the air is muggy, and night doesn’t come until close to nine o’clock at night. The kids in our Sunday School are beginning to take on the restlessness of school’s end, summer is just around the corner.
I love summertime. I love the green, walking in wet grass with bare feet, the warmth of the sun on my face, and the smell of sun tan lotion. Summertime is a lush season of fullness.
And Swedenborg describes as much as he discusses the spiritual significance of this season. He writes that summer signifies “a state of fullness of the church (Emanuel Swedenborg, Divine Love and Wisdom #73.)” Summer is the time of fruition, or completion. No more planting, no more planning, no more waiting. Whatever lay dormant under the earth germinating in winter, whatever was planted in spring will soon be here in it’s completeness. This time of “fullness” also can correspond to the stage of adulthood, the time in our cycle of regeneration when we have become who we are to be, and are fully “being it.” While we certainly are always growing and learning, we can think of the approaching summer’s spiritual significance as a time in our cycle of growth where what we are most called to do is just rest in the reality of who we are and live that to the fullest.
This is my meditation right now as I feel the sun on my face. May we all bask in the joy of who we are right now, the fullness of our own journey with God. For there is much to be grateful for.
June 07 2008 02:01 pm | Nature & Spirit
