Spiritual Harvest: Bless Yourself

Hello everybody!  I am so excited to be writing again after a long vacation.  Sometimes you just need some time off to relax and take it easy.  I hope everyone is enjoying the fall and cooler weather.  If you live in a warmer climate  at least you don't need to unpack your winter clothes!
  Today I am posting about the spiritual harvest time.  You could have spiritual harvest any time of the year, but the autumn is traditional.  In the real world we are reaping and gathering  fruits and vegetables now.  Apples and pumpkins are available and ready to be eaten or cooked.  Farmers bring in the crops and prepare for winter.  It is a time of wealth and abundance  and we should look to a spiritual harvest, as well.
  This is a time when we should  give thanks for all of our benefits this year.  Work done on ourselves and in our lives needs to be examined and
acknowledged.  Ask yourself this question: have you grown in the spirit this year?  What have you done to expand your spiritual and/or religious understanding and knowledge?  Most of all, what have you done to bless yourself?
  It is a major step in spiritual growth when you realize you must bless yourself first and foremost.  If you do not have a richness inside yourself, an abundance of spiritual growth, you will have nothing to offer someone else.  This applies to worldly matters as well.  You must fertilize your own fields before you can help your neighbor with his crops.  If your pockets are empty and your heart is too, how can you nourish those around you?
  If you have made both spiritual and worldly accomplishments this year, it may be a time to share those things with your loved one.  Give a special gift to your mate or a friend.  This does not have to be a gift you buy, but could be a gift of your time.  A gift of the heart and spirit is the best kind! Share your abundance with the needy and you will reap the benefits in some other harvest time.
  Has this been a "lean" year for you?  If you have had a year of struggles, both financially and spiritually, then this should be your time of evaluation.
It is not a time to judge yourself, but only to look back at the past months.  Is there something you could have done better?  Were you able to take time for spiritual study or celebration?  Some years are for work in the real world, and work only.  Other times we grow in the spirit dramatically, not only by our own efforts, but because it is time.  If it has been a difficult year for you, please take a deep breath now and bless yourself.  Accept that you have done the best you could and that there will be other years for new growth.
  My next post will also be about spiritual harvest.  Until then, blessings from Psykiksister.