Lakshmi Light on the Seasons of her Soul

By Lakshmi Light

For the last 3 weeks I have found myself in swift, decisive actions for the groundbreaking year to come; creativity and joy filling my thoughts and works as I plan and build for a new bold tomorrow doing what I love with the ones I love. Yet, this morning on this day of family celebration, I find myself rising before the sun to spontaneously reflecting on the last year, with deep gratitude and wonder.

In Jan of 2010, my fiancé, daughter, and I had all fallen in love with a sweet little home in the Wildcat Canyon Regional Park, near Berkeley, California, and decided to make it our first home together. It seemed so perfect for our little family of three. The house sat on an acre of land with redwoods, ample room to garden, plenty of storage space, and we moved in with a sense of peace. And this last year has been a magical one, to be sure.

I suppose one of my favorite experiences here happened just a few weeks ago. The sound of owls brought us out of our house and we stood under our redwoods looking up at the silhouette of a great horned owl. She was calling to her mate in the next yard. All three of us stood under the tree looking up at her, listening to the call and response between the two birds, marveling at this secretive creature, who was allowing us a small glimpse into her family. Her mate was not so tolerant of our presence and quickly flew away, calling to her from a distant tree. When she finally followed after him, we all caught our breath at the sight of her massive wingspan and her silent flight.

Over the course of our stay here, the apple tree outside our front door has brought us many welcome visitors. We have stood within feet of fawns, foxes, and chubby raccoons, and watched the yearling buck’s antlers grow in week by week over the summer months. We have watched countless breathtaking sunsets over the hills beyond our front yard, soaking in the closeness to nature after our days working in the East Bay. The nature preserve at our back door has allowed us to take walks into “forbidden forests” with our daughter and enjoy her boundless enthusiasm and imagination. Standing under a flowering tree in the spring with my partner, I have felt the sweet richness of our own love reflected in the loud hum of the bee’s song that filled the air. Feeling the vibration of a thousand bees kissing the hearts of thousands of flower petals, I felt deeply connected. I saw that the union that my partner and I feel is just one small piece of the union that the earth creates every day with her many creatures.

For many, the seasons of life seem to keep time with the seasons of nature, swiftly moving from one to the next, each as beautiful as the last. In each cycle there are both blessings and challenges. And so, despite the many gifts this house has brought us, the challenges here steer us forward. Thus next month we will be moving into a new home. Without regret, we take this step forward. I won’t get into all of the details prompting the move, but I will say this: I won’t miss the single working heater vent in our hallway, nor will I miss the chance to weed-whack through stinging nettle, nor the abundance of poison oak here. Despite these and other challenges, I will leave this house with a focus on gratitude, and in years to come I will only chuckle affectionately about the quirks of our first home as I reflect on this auspicious first year we have shared under its protective arms.

So today as I enjoy the last few “pre-packing” days at this house, I will listen to Prabhu Nam Kaur’s album Seasons of the Soul in a new light. It was a joy to hear the songs evolve and bloom while my fiancé produced this album earlier in the year. Now, as I find my own soul’s season shifting, I will listen to it anew; listen for Prabhu Nam Kaur’s wisdom, and share in her faith as I embark on the next stage of my journey.

May you all find Joy and Gratitude for your own unique seasons, and may you infuse them with Love this holiday.

Seasons of the Soul by Prabhu Nam and Snatam Kaur