'tis the Season - once more!

While I wrote this about a year ago, it remains relevant and salient in 2021.

December is upon us and it is the time of year, the season, when many religious and traditional celebrations take place all around the world.?While there is great diversity in these many different perspectives and practices, I also find it comforting that there is a commonality in the themes and spirit of these holidays.?Such themes include the victory of light over darkness, the emergence of enlightenment, and a celebration of and appreciation for community and connectedness, to name just a few.?To me and in my tradition, this “season” is a time for reflection, contemplation and meditation on these themes and to renew our faith, hope, love and commitment to each other within this spirit.??

However, for many of us, “getting into the spirit” in this 2020 (and now 2021) holiday season will continue to be very difficult due to the individual hardships and societal challenges the ongoing pandemic and other factors continue to present. Yet, I believe it is still possible and incredibly valuable to not lose sight of what this time of year is all about.?We can make a difference and have impact on how this holiday season takes shape – for ourselves and for others!

My reflection in this regard was stimulated by an op-ed article written by John Pentland in December 2020. The notion presented by Pentland that we are in liminal times right now is very apropos – particularly within the context of periods of liminality leading to the dissolution or reversal of the way things were; the disappearance of “normal” and resultant chaos; and fear, apprehension and uncertainty prevailing as the future is thrown into doubt.?For almost all of us I suspect this definitely defines the year 2020!

The encouraging part though is that these moments of liminality also represent thresholds to cross over.?At this point in time, we are very much in the “in between place”, neither in what we knew as here (our pre-COVID19 normal way of being) or what will emerge as there (our post-COVID19 new reality).?This is the time and place where we are presented with the opportunity to bridge the gap between these two worlds.

One concept of a threshold, whether from folklore, myth or fact (who knows for sure!) is that of a barrier to keep something in or out and prevent something from coming in or out.?One such example was to “hold” the “thresh” (straw) covering and keeping the floor of the home warm from being tracked outside.?But thresholds are certainly crossable – and the symbolism as we move from 2020 into 2021 ties to what aspects of society and humanity we want to carry over this threshold and manifest as part of the “new normal.”

‘Tis the Season to Be…

and in the shared spirit of so many traditions and celebrations observed at this time of year, let’s take the opportunity to reflect on the best of who we are, the best of who we can be.?Let’s contemplate the ways we can bring these “best of” attributes forward to help each other get through difficult times and to shape new ways of being and doing – in our personal lives, within our families, into our workplaces, and throughout our communities local and global, to contribute to society as a whole.?And let’s resolve to be present, spiritually and emotionally, and to live out our very best for each other to help them be their very best, even if we cannot be physically together.

The themes of our traditions and celebrations have proven to be timeless throughout the ages.?And now is the time, more than ever, to get into the spirit and cross the threshold, once again, from 2021 into 2022 with love, compassion and kindness. Happy Holidays everyone.