First Sunday of Lent

My theme this year for Lent is Active Hope and Resilience: 

Active Hope requires that I maintain a clear view of reality; identify what I hope for - the direction I’d like things to move in and the values I'd like to express; and take steps to move in that direction.

Resilience is a set of practical skills that allow me to be strong, flexible, creative, hopeful, and positive, and to successfully adapt to stressors, and bounce back from difficult experiences.

 

At Lent I allow myself to be slow, simple, and thoughtful. I spend time each day in focused study and prayer, and then take action to bring my vision to fruition.

Agenda:

1. Read "Everyday Simplicity"

2. Practice visualization

3. Banner plan

4. Simple food plan

5. Phenology record

1. Read "Everyday Simplicity":

I bought myself this little book, by Robert J. Wicks (2000), as a birthday treat. The subtitle is: A Practical Guide to Spiritual Growth.

Chapter 5 is Simplicity, the 3rd of eight themes that will help us to "soften our souls and allow us to experience and share the gift of God in simple ways during the day".

He talks about inner simplicity, a sanctuary "where the pesky voice of need is quieted and we can simply be." This is so basic to a Quaker.

One aspect of a simple inner life is to let go of attachments to anything that surpasses attachment to God: He calls these idols. Anything that gets us inordinately upset, or excited, or angry, or anxious might be an idol, because it keeps us from being free. "Only the freedom which comes with enjoying the good things in life (family, friends, work, accomplishments, life itself!) as gifts rather than idols can give us peace and joy."

An attitude of simplicity allows us to enjoy and feel grateful for the gifts of life, but not in an addictive way that pulls us down and makes us crazy; simplicity allows us to release the need for more, and the need to control.

Practice for this section: Catch myself when I am worried or complaining and let go of those preoccupations to make room for new gifts from the Universe.

 

2. Practice visualization:

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Every month, at the waxing gibbous moon (my last push for action), I call on the practice of visualization to help me to see the next steps towards bringing my goals to fruition. Today I shine a light on my new banner project.

Creative visualization is a technique that uses my imagination to create change. (Because of my visual and auditory sensitivity, this is the best process for knowing what I'm feeling.) It has these steps:

• First, set an intention: Say, "Today I call on the Spirit of Love to bring me clarity and open my eyes to expressing hope with a banner."
• Center and relax each part of my body: With each breath, allow my awareness to deepen and become softer. No stress. No rush. I walk or float in an imaginary void. Open a connection to Spirit. Feel a soft warmth begin to grow and spread through me, until I am radiating quiet energy.
• Create a clear, detailed picture in my mind, as though the objective has been reached. Paint a vivid mental image of A banner for the earth, and put as much positive energy into the image as possible. 
• Lastly, affirm that this is what I want with a short positive phrase in the present tense: "Today I will take steps towards making a banner for the earth."
• Give thanks and return: Saying thanks out loud is how I acknowledge the reality of the gift of my vision.

The thought-image is like a signal-flare that guides the physical thing or deed to manifest in my life (and it's a good way to keep my intentions in my mind). I will carry the vision of the completed goal with me, and focus on it often during the day, in a gentle manner.

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3. Banner plan:

I'm planning to retro-fit this old banner with new words. Each word on a banner is important: I want to say a powerful thing in a small space. My idea:

One Earth
All of Life
Take Hope
Take Action

My plan:

• Sunday: Envision new banner; make a list of the supplies and steps, and put them in my calendar;
• Monday: Design banner- plan size and draw lettering; gather fabric, paint, brushes; prepare a space and set up.
• Thursday: Paint letters
• Friday: Sew together

4. Simple foods plan: 

I'm fasting from anything processed (packaged cookies, crackers, pasta, candy, canned goods, frozen dinners) as much as possible, and that means I need to cook and bake my own snacks. Last week I made granola bars and pretzels. This week my snack-making plan is:

• Monday: Make spicy baked ricotta dip (serve with baguette)
• Tuesday: Bake leftover cookie dough
• Wednesday: Make sweet and spicy peanuts
• Thursday: Make a green smoothie
• Friday: Make crackers and feta dip

5. Phenology journal:

This year I've been recording the phenology in my garden to broaden my awareness, deepen my connection to the wildlife around me, and to better understand the calendar of my environment and how it is changing. I'm focusing on a few native plants and personal favorites in my yard, the birds at my feeder, and some specific patches of leaf mulch (for insects).

This first week of March has been warm: Folks call it Fool's Spring because we often get a blast of cold, wet weather in March. Our temperatures are predicted to be below average, and precipitation above average. "The Climate Prediction Center’s March 2025 outlook puts much of the Pacific Northwest under a cooler and wetter weather pattern. ... This would be the “second winter” portion of our seasonal timeline."

The USA National Phenology Network tracks the status of spring by when things bloom and leaves appear: "The First Leaf and First Bloom Indices are synthetic measures of these early season events in plants, based on recent temperature conditions. These models allow us to track the progression of spring onset across the country."

March 9, 2025, Phenology Notes:

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  Red-flowering currant!

  General: Sunrise = 7:34 am; Sunset = 7:11 pm; Day length = 11.5 hours. Temperature high = 61º; Low = 42º.

• Rainfall so far this year: 9.2 in. (March is a little lower than average so far.)

• Birds: Fewer birds overall than last month, but still our regular array of chickadees, dark-eyed juncos, stellar jay's, and finches. Also, my Anna's hummer.

Duck eggs! Baba laid her first egg on February 25th this year, and Ouna laid hers on March 5th.

• Plants: Oregon Sunshine - no new buds; Yarrow- lots of new growth; Red-flowering currant- leaves are open and flower buds showing!; Snowberry- tiny leaves; Serviceberry- buds are swelling (just planted last week); Milkweed- dormant.

• Insects: Mason bees are starting to hatch?

• Fungi