The Beginnings of Endings

August 1st is the earth-based festival of the first fruits and wheat harvest, the earliest of the grains to be harvested. While I was meditating upon its themes this morning, a question emerged.

What are the first fruits I'm gathering from my efforts?

A strange phrase came to me almost immediately. The beginnings of endings.

The first fruits I am gathering from my efforts are the beginnings of endings. 

It seems to me that that's exactly what first fruits are. Harvest represents the end of the seed cycle; the seeds for the next cycle are contained within the fruit and those gathered first mark the beginning of that ending. Seeds eventually will be planted to make a new growth cycle possible. Seeds are discarded (planted), either by the fruit rotting on the ground, where the seed is left behind and eventually works its way into the soil; or by transport -- birds and other creatures are well known for carrying seed far and wide to be discarded through excretion; or intentionally planted by people after the fruit is consumed and the seed retained for planting.

There's something mysterious about this when it's applied to our personal work, both our projects and the inner work of the soul.

The Great Summer Writing Retreat of 2019 continues. One hundred days of writing unedited ideas and following a prompt to its sometimes illogical conclusion.