![]() Have you noticed the tulips reaching up their stems, and the crocuses blooming in the neighborhood lawns? Ready or not, the annual spring sprouting is upon us! Since the Winter Solstice in late December, the days have grown consistently longer as they always do in winter. This weekend on March 19-20 we reach the Spring Equinox, a moment when night and day come into balance. This equaling of dark and light signals the first day of spring—an event bursting with creative power. Spring and the Creation Cycle Whether you consciously tune in to it or not, the energetic influences of the seasons offer structure and support for your personal creation cycle. Each year the seasons flow from the yin energy of winter (internal, passive) to the yang energy of high summer (external, active), and back again. Your personal creation cycle has a similar flow. In the first stage of creation we turn inward to draw on our inner guidance and germinate the seeds of inspiration—this is like winter. The second stages invites us to come forth with our desires and reveal them to the light—this is like spring. Then as our creation takes shape, we bring it into full action and expression in the third step—this is summer. Finally, we receive the outcome or bounty of our work and begin to turn inward again—this is the harvest in the fall. Here we are in spring: wet, muddy, messy, volatile, and full of promise. The Energy of Spring Spring is associated with the energy of rebirth, renewal, and the dawn of new opportunities. Eggs are associated with spring as they signify the coming of new life. Many current and ancient cultures and religions mark the time of the Spring Equinox with festivals and ritual. In Greek mythology, at the Spring Equinox the Earth goddess, Demeter, reunites with her daughter, Persephone, when Persephone returns from the underworld after living there during the six months of fall and winter (this has to do with the six pomegranate seeds she ate). As Demeter rejoices, life returns to the plants and animals of the earth. In the Chinese five elemental system, spring represents the wood element which carries the energy of impetus and initiative. It’s the wood element that gives the tiny seed the energy and gusto to push through the soil toward the light and begin its life. These spring energies remain around us and within us for the next three months. ![]() Wake Up and Smell the Fertile Soil If you are still ambling through your winter slumber, if earlier sunrises and later sunsets or louder birdsong and warmer temperatures have not roused you yet, the Spring Equinox invites you back to life! It’s time to bring forth the ideas and desires that have been germinating inside you and show them the light of day. Each annual creation cycle offers six months of active yang energy: three months in spring (March-June) and three months in summer (June-September). Farmers hold a keen awareness of this limited time opportunity, called the growing season. Knowing that in September the annual opportunities for new growth come to a close, farmers don’t delay planting their crops at the first opportunity of spring. Like the farmers’ growing season, we are also impacted by the realities of the annual creation cycle. Jump on the spring bandwagon if you haven’t already. Move into action. The energy is ripe and the soil is ready. ![]() Next Steps for Spring What's been germinating for you? What seeds of ideas and visions have you been tending over the winter? How will you begin to bring them out? All creative seeds are viable--whether they lead to large external life changes like job or relationship changes or more subtle internal shifts like behavior and attitude adjustments. Don’t worry if you don’t have a 12-month plan clearly mapped out. That’s not what’s called for in early spring. Observe the seedling. Its job and sole focus at this time is to emerge from the soil and see light. What happens after that? Well, stay tuned in late spring and summer as creation takes full shape. For now, just take the the first steps into action. Don’t have a clue what’s ready to come forth? You can still sync yourself to the prevailing spring energies by starting to come out in small ways. Speak your ideas in daily conversation. Share a realization with a trusted friend. Say hello to a neighbor, write a letter, turn the soil in your garden, plant seeds indoors, register for a class, do research, move your body. As you move into action, your creativity will engage and inform your next steps. Watch and listen. Connect to your inner guidance for direction. Notice what catches your eye. Pay keen attention to those things that spark your feelings of enthusiasm. Fueled by your intuitive insight, the picture of your coming year will begin to take shape. Get Messy With It Spring discovery is naturally messy. It has to be. This exploratory going-into-action stage in the creative process requires doing things you've never done before, with trial and error. Wade into the mud and see how it feels. Use the next three months to test and examine your vision. Don't expect a straight-shot, ducks-all-in-a-row experience. Be prepared to start, fail, regroup, then try again with new insights. If you do, by Summer Solstice you'll have solid information based on real evidence, then it's full steam ahead. |
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