"For the flower, it is
fully open
at each step of its
becoming."
(Mark Nepo)
"The simple rose, at each moment of its slow blossoming, is as open as it can be. The same is true of our lives. In each stage of our unfolding, we are as stretched as possible...
It helps to see ourselves as flowers. If a flower were to push itself to open faster, which it can't, it would tear. Yet we humans can and often do push ourselves. Often we tear in places no one can see. When we push ourselves to unfold faster or more deeply than is natural, we thwart ourselves. For in nature, unfolding (ripening) takes time." (Mark Nepo)
How
did the rose
ever open its heart
and give to this world
all its
beauty?
It felt the encouragement of light
against its
being.
Otherwise,
we all remain
too
frightened”
―Hafiz
As shared on Sunday, Thomas Merton encouraged James Finley to sit in the sun of God's presence, like the apple ripening on the table. Ripening (in nature and in us) has its own unique time table, and can't be rushed. We can do certain practices to support our ripening, but ultimately we need to rest and trust in God, the Gardener of our souls.
"Consider the lilies and wildflowers, how they grow [in the open field].
They neither labor nor spin yet I tell you,
not even Solomon in all his glory and splendor
dressed himself like one of these."
(Luke 12-27, Amplified Bible)
"For the Beauty of the Earth" John Rutter, King's College Choir
Prayer:
Ripening One,
dazzle us with the rhythm of your seasons
woven into all of Creation.
Help us to see how release and rest
are necessary for flowering and fruit.
Bring us reminders each day
of our own holy unfolding
from waking to working to playing to waning.
Release our grip on calendars and planners,
soften our need to make something happen,
to try to control the outcome,
and reveal your impulse arising in us
in a hundred different ways.
Guide our hearts and soften our impatience.
We celebrate this wild grace at work,
in its own time, its own tempo
inviting us into this sacred dance of trust.
(Christine Valters Paintner)
Spiritual Practice and reflection: You might like to take a contemplative walk this week and notice the unfolding and ripening of tree buds and flowers.
As you walk, consider a situation in your life as a flower budding and opening.
What stage of ripening are you in?
Perhaps you're a small dark green bud, holding the promise of blossoming tight within you - unable to see what type of flower will emerge. Is there some fear that keeps holding you tightly closed - or do you need time to rest and prepare?
Or perhaps you are an emerging bud, just beginning to unfurl, excited by glimpses of your colors, and the feel of warm breeze and cool rain on your soft new petals,
Or perhaps you've unfolded to full blooming and feel deep joy and gratitude as a creation of God. This is also the moment when your fragrance is released and honeybees come to share your sweetness.
Finally, you may be ending one blooming to begin something new. As you gradually let go -- petal by petal -- perhaps some surprise still waits for you? Like the the nutrient-rich rose hips still hidden beneath your petals, your ripening continues... Mark Nepo concludes his rose reflection with these words:
"Wherever we are in our path --
no matter how flawed or incomplete --
is a blossoming unto itself.
However much we've done at the end of the day
is more than enough;
it is dream becoming truth."
Resources:
Mark Nepo, "The Book of Awakening," Newburyport, MA: Red Wheel, 2020 edition, p. 251
Christine Valters Paintner, "A Different Kind of Fast," Minneapolis, MN, Broadleaf Books, 2024, p. 194.
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