Last night I spent time gazing up at the beautiful Harvest Moon, giving extra light to us. In times before electricity, the Harvest Moon was credited with giving extra light to farmers so they had even longer to harvest their crops. This moon is also known as the Wine Moon, signifying the time for harvesting the grapes.
Nature’s harvest, in the months of August and September, provides plenty of wild food for humans, animals and birds alike. Orchard fruits, nuts and berries are in abundance.
For us humans though, the secret of life is to harvest continually. To always be aware of the possibility for taking the best that life has to offer at any stage. Being paced and patient with ourselves, and allowing the fruit of every life stage to yield in it’s own time.
The Sufi tell a story about what happens when we force things:
The story tells that a seeker found a cocoon resting quietly. Intent on seeing the butterfly within, the seeker held the cocoon gently, breathed warm breath upon it and watched with excitement as the butterfly emerged. But almost as soon as the newly hatched butterfly spread its wings, it died. “Why did my butterfly die?” the seeker asked the Holy One. “To teach you a lesson,” the Holy One said. “Everything can be born in due time; nothing can be rushed.”
Our lives are a never-ending season of harvests. Each season of life has something new to teach us.
What richness can you be aware of that is waiting for you to harvest in this season?
What fruit is your life yielding just now?