By Heather Caldwell, LPCC
With the hustle and bustle of life, it’s easy to get distracted from our connection to the natural world. Luckily, there are four seasonal markers that can help us follow the natural world's rhythms and offer us the invitation to incorporate them into our personal lives: fall equinox, winter solstice, spring equinox, and summer solstice. These four calendar markers help us track seasonal changes, and have long histories that can connect us to our ancestral lineages. In the past, they helped us know when to till the earth and plant seeds. They helped guide us to know when to harvest the fields and when the hunt would yield the fattest meat. They helped us know when the weather might shift to become more inviting for travel, to awaken the spirit, and to rekindle the flame of life.
As we moved away from a nomadic life, from an agricultural life, from a life more connected to the natural world, rituals celebrating the seasons offered us a way to tune in to ourselves and the world around us. Around the world, communities celebrate the changing seasons with a variety of activities, holidays, and celebrations.
Spring’s Unfurling
Spring Equinox, March 20th 2022, marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere. It is a time where we celebrate coming out: coming out of the darkness, out of scarcity, out the harsh cold stillness of winter. It also marks a time of coming into: coming into the light, into dreams of summer growth and fall abundance, into possibilities. It is a time where we wake from the deep sleep of winter, crawl out of our dens, and stretch into the sunlight that falls upon our faces - waking us to the possibilities that may come.
River ice breaks and the water flow becomes vigorous and alive. Snow melts and provides moisture to the parched earth. Birds begin their long flight back to their summer homes, where they will begin their mating dance and settle in for the riches that summer will yield. The fallen fall foliage now becomes fertilizer for the spring unfurling of rebirth and growth.
Possibility is in the air. The aliveness vibrates.
This spring’s equinox feels especially charged. There is a new military conflict overseas. There’s more than a glimmer of a post-pandemic world. There are growing financial impacts of living in a global economy. There are lots of unknowns that feel scary. And yet there are also some that feel juicy and exciting. Seeds of summer possibility, such as travel, more social gatherings and connections, and summer gardens are being planted, hoping that we can soon grow these dreams into realities.
Springtime Ruminations
Spring offers us the opportunity to start over, to have a fresh beginning, to (re)vision, to (re)birth.
It has been a long dark winter for many of us. As we look towards spring, what do you want your garden to look like? I invite you to journal with these prompts. If you’re so inclined, you might want to get out your crafting supplies and paint, draw, sculpt, or collage your responses.
What do you want to plant, to grow, to (re)birth? What areas could use joy, creativity, (re)visioning? What excites you, what draws your attention, what engages you? Where could you invite in possibility, warmth, and tenderness? What textures, colors, flavors, and varieties could support your process? As with our physical gardens, when we plant seeds and wait for the shoots to unfurl, where can you invite in patience, compassion, and dedication?
Spring Equinox Rituals & Practices
This blog post offers several activities, rituals, and invitations to connect to the spring equinox and to (re)awaken the child within.
Go for a walk and take notice of life budding all around you. Notice the tender shoots and spring greens waking up and budding on the ground, on the trees, and in the garden. See if you can find other subtle signs of life, such as the chirping of baby chicks, morning dew on the young grass, or wild game with swollen bellies ready to give birth. Watch the changing landscape and the growing babes throughout the season.
If you live in an area where the air quality is healthy and warm(ish), open your windows and allow in the fresh clean air. If you live in an area where you can’t do this, consider taking a drive up into the mountains or out into the plains. Or maybe go visit a local greenhouse. Walk around in the moist indoor gardens.
Plant something. If you have outdoor space or access to a community garden, consider getting your hands into the dirt to plant something. An edible garden can offer continued delicious delights throughout the summer and fall. A wildflower garden can offer visual delight throughout the summer and provides support for community bees, birds, and butterflies. These can also be places of community and connection.
Create a cleanse. Out with the old in order to make room for the new. What needs to be cleaned out? Maybe it’s cleansing unhealthy patterns: negative self-talk, toxic habits, or getting rid of those pants you don’t fit into. Maybe it’s physical spaces: the overstuffed closet, the forgotten areas of the garage, the crawlspace, attic, or basement. Maybe it’s cleaning the car, the refrigerator, or the air vents. Maybe it’s relationships that no longer serve you or negatively impact you.
Bring in the new. What do you want to add to enrich your life? What mantas would support your process? What healthy habits would you like to foster? What do you need in order to support this?
Bring in the joy. What areas of your life could use some joy and play? Spring is about connecting to your inner child, your youthful self. In what ways could you celebrate yourself, laugh, move, and enjoy the simplicity of life? When’s the last time you hula-hooped, skipped rope, floated in the tub, or blew bubbles?
Get creative. Spring wants to bloom! Start a creative project, paint a room, learn to needlepoint, try something new, be spontaneous.
Spring and Mental Health
Although we are coming back into the light and our days are getting warmer, seasonal affective disorder is still very real for many of us. The sun is out but the outside temperatures can still be uncomfortably cool. The restlessness of still living indoors in addition to the nicer weather outside can cause some of us to feel the reality of cabin fever, the ache of a long winter, the fatigue of the daily routine. If you find you are struggling or need support in any of these areas, the therapists at Evolve in Nature are here to support you on your journey.