68 - Season of Renewal
As the month of May completes and June unfolds, the world itself seems to breathe again. The air grows warmer, the trees stretch out tender new leaves, and color returns to the earth after its long winter’s rest. It is a season of rebirth, of hope, and of second chances. In Paraclism, this time of renewal aligns beautifully with our Second Keystone:
Remember that you are fallible like everyone else; be ready to admit and forgive wrongdoing.
Spring is nature’s reminder that failure is not final. The barren trees of winter might have seemed lifeless, yet with patience and time they awaken once more. So too must we allow ourselves, and one another, the chance to awaken after our own winters of error or regret. To live rightly in accordance with this Keystone is to acknowledge that imperfection is the natural state of humanity — that we all stumble, all fall short, all hurt and are hurt in turn.
It is tempting, of course, to dwell in judgment — to measure others by the wrongs they have done, while softening the view of our own missteps. But this is the seedbed of pride and estrangement. The Second Keystone calls us instead toward humility, the quiet courage of admitting when we are wrong (and that we can be wrong), and the grace of extending forgiveness to those who have wronged us.
Forgiveness is not weakness. It does not erase wrongdoing, nor does it excuse harm. What it does, rather, is transform it. Forgiveness releases both the forgiver and the forgiven from the endless winter of resentment. It opens space for growth, for warmth, for reconciliation. In that way, forgiveness is not only a moral act but a practical one — it restores efficiency and harmony to our spiritual and communal lives.
And just as we are called to forgive others, so too must we learn to forgive ourselves. Many of us carry burdens of guilt, the quiet whisper that we are unworthy of peace. Yet the Paraclete teaches that fallibility is not sin — it is humanity. The true failing is not in error, but in refusing to learn from it. When we accept our imperfections and still strive for betterment, we honor both the First Keystone (Strive to be efficient, competent,
and autonomous) and the Second Keystone together: the pursuit of autonomy balanced by the awareness of shared frailty.
As you move through this brightening month, let June become your season of letting go. If there are apologies unspoken, offer them. If there are old wounds you have been nursing, release them. The world outside your window is forgiving winter its coldness — should we do any less?
Let your forgiveness, like the blossoms of spring, open gently but fully. For in doing so, you make room not only for others to grow, but for your own soul to bloom anew.
