Eostar. The
spring equinox.
A time of new
beginnings, of new life and rebirth.
And doesn’t it
just feel that way this time of year?
Doesn’t the fresh air and the warm sunshine feel like the beginning of
something new? When I hear the robins outside my window again and notice the
lilacs starting to bloom it gives me a new energy, my mind starts racing with
all the possibilities of the weeks and months to come. I start daydreaming
about the projects I’m going to do in my yard this year in my quest to make the
outside of my house as charming as the inside, (rather than the blight of the
block as I dramatically imagine our neighbors think it is.) This year we’ve
already cut down the sad and dowdy birch tree in our front yard and I’m
excitedly planning Phase Two, a charming picket fence inspired, of course, by
Pinterest.
Spring is the
season of planting. We plant in our gardens all the abundant possibilities for
the summer harvest. Ben and Jaden always do a beautiful job of clearing out our
quaint garden boxes - three perfect, clean-slate squares, full of endless
summer possibilities. And every spring we start with the very best intentions.
You can’t help but feel inspired by the spring sunshine and the blossoms on the
trees. Every year I have this image of us gathering bushels of bounty from our
garden boxes. And we have cultivated veggies from our modest garden before,
although far fewer than I imagine every April. We’ve had strange-shaped white
carrots and lovely little green beans, miraculous Pacific Northwest tomatoes,
and a bountiful potato harvest that made Ben feel like he could survive the end
of the world. But … more often than not, our seedlings perish because we
planted them outside too early. Or, unoriginally, we didn’t water them enough.
Or, they survive those trials only to go to seed because we didn’t know when to
gather our harvest. But, the outcome isn’t the point each spring. In spring,
the point is simply the possibility. Every spring brings the possibility that
this could be the year we go off the
agricultural grid and conquer the world with our abundant little garden boxes.
While the
natural world is bursting with new life and its own infinite new projects, not
coincidentally, it’s also a time of personal metamorphosis. Winter’s darkness was
a time of low-energy, of turning inward and hibernation. With the spring
sunshine comes a personal hatching -
a hatching of new ideas, of new projects and new beginnings in our
lives.
My spring
project, and a new beginning in my life, is to reengage with my study of the
seasons. To pay close attention to what’s happening in our natural world as the
seasons change, and to celebrate those changes as they take place. As the wheel
of the year turns, I also want to pay close, conscious attention to the changes
that take place in my life. As human beings we are all Earth creatures, and as
such we are affected by the Earth’s cycles and her rhythms. Whether we
recognize it or not, the changing seasons absolutely affect the ebb and flow of
our lives.
It’s certainly
not hard to see some of the simple ways the changing seasons affect us. Just
think about how differently you feel in the middle of winter, when the wind is
howling outside and the freezing rain is pelting on your window. All I want to
do in those moments is curl up with a blanket over my legs and a hot cup of
coffee within very close reach. Compare that to how you feel now, in the midst
of spring’s rebirth. For me, it feels like a challenge to be inside. I need to
open the doors, let the fresh air in, clean out the cobwebs from a winter spent
indoors. It’s definitely not a time for snuggling inside with a book. (Although
Seattlite that I am, there’s definitely still a cup of coffee within close
reach. Whatever the season.)
You can’t deny
in the spring you feel more alive. You
just do. When else do you pause to take a deeper breath simply because the air
seems … fresher?! The sight of the cherry blossoms, when they’ve fallen and are
blanketing the ground like a warm, spring, faerie snow … it absolutely takes my
breath away. And not in that cliché writer way. I mean, my breath literally
catches in my throat and I’m awestruck for a moment. It is such a beautiful
display of spring. I feel so inspired by those moments. And, that inspiration
absolutely translates into a new energy and all kinds of new ideas - in the
garden, obviously, but also in many other corners of my life.
Coincidentally
(or not), this winter a chapter of my life came to an end. Happily, ultimately.
But an ending, none-the-less. And I find myself this spring, feeling so hopeful
and incredibly excited about the many new possibilities to come. I would bet
most of you, in some form or another, are feeling that very same New Beginning
energy and excitement in some corner of your life too.
With the myriad
of ways the changing seasons affect us, it’s not hard to believe how meaningful
the seasons would become when you also pause and honor it. And honoring it
doesn’t have to be some big, scary Pagan ritual, calling in the four directions
with a priestess woman spouting water like a fountain to create a sacred space.
(Although, it certainly can be and I’m
sure it’s quite profound when you get past and the chanting and fountaining.)
Honoring the season can be as simple as taking a springtime walk and noticing
all the joyful signs of new life sprouting. Or, cooking a meal full of seasonal
vegetables and symbols of the season. In spring quiche is a wonderful seasonal
dish to cook. The egg, of course, is the quintessential symbol of spring. I
mean, what represents New Life more than the image of the egg?! (And, have you
ever wondered why children
decorate eggs to celebrate the Christian resurrection of Jesus anyway?
Surprise. It actually has nothing to do with Christianity at all.)
The point is, just taking a moment to acknowledge the changing seasons, to celebrate all the beautiful, amazing things taking place in the natural world around us … I have a hunch … will make our lives, as human beings living on Earth, so much deeper and infinitely richer.
The point is, just taking a moment to acknowledge the changing seasons, to celebrate all the beautiful, amazing things taking place in the natural world around us … I have a hunch … will make our lives, as human beings living on Earth, so much deeper and infinitely richer.