Aligning with the Seasons: Ways to Welcome in Spring

March 16, 2020

“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.”

― Pablo Neruda

Despite these current times of wild consternation and chaotic upheaval, the shifting of the seasons remains constant. Despite the turmoil of the climate and the lingering heaviness in our bones, spring is still coming. If we open our eyes beyond the veil, spring is here, blossoming in places previously hardened over.

March 19th marks Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. It aligns with the astrological ingress into Aries season; the first sign of the zodiac, the primordial child. It heralds fiery change, feisty new beginnings, fertile new seeds, and activates our inner willpower. We are not in the in between time anymore, this period of the wheel is direct, raw, brazen and full of pure energy to be utilized. This is where we pause to look around at all the new unfolding in our lives and all that we wish to begin. We are asked to invoke more creative dynamism, take more risks and be more willing to embark into uncharted territory. We are asked to have remarkable confidence in our own abilities.

The earth seems to pause at equinox, where we get to fully enjoy a day of equal night and day. How can we make space to pause and honor this shift, this balancing of the cosmic scales, in our personal lives? How can we activate our inner Aries ram after the long winter slumber? How can we re-energize ourselves so that we are excited to go forth again? How can we let our new found aliveness make room for more beauty and grace?

Rituals and practices that honor the seasonal shifts ground us, they connect us with that which is larger and older than us. They connect us to an ancient wheel of time that keeps us in rhythm with the earth and her natural cycles. Rituals nurture our inherent nature.

Here are some simple ways to connect with springtime wherever you may reside~

• Take a walk outside. A forest, a beach, even your city neighborhood. Walk slowly and with awareness, notice the subtle shifts of spring all around you. New buds blossoming, the songs of birds, the changing color palettes, the possible lightness in other people’s steps. Change is there if you take time to notice it.

• Plant something. An herb garden, a new house plant, flower beds, one small little seedling on your window sill. Seeds are the core symbology of spring, plant yours with an intention for your year or for the next three months until summer solstice.

• Buy yourself, or someone else, some freshly cut flowers. Picking wildflowers counts too.

• Do something new. Maybe it’s trying a new dance or other physical movement class, going out to eat by yourself, taking a new way home from work, signing up for a class you’ve been wanting to, or asking someone out. Anything that gives you that slight tingling sensation that can only be found in trying something for the first time.

• Do a fire meditation. As part of your evening or morning routine, carve out a few minutes to align with the power of the fire element. Get grounded, clear your space, breathe deeply for a few breaths, and light a single white or red candle. For a few minutes gaze directly into the flame, watching it dance and flicker, staying aware of your breath and any thoughts that may come up. You may also wish to state your new intentions during this ritual as well. Give thanks to the fire for its ability to ignite, transform and regenerate.

• If you practice tarot, or are wanting to learn, pull The Emperor Card from your deck out and put it on an altar. Study and work with the energy of this card for the month. (It is also numerically the collective card for the whole 2020 year.) The Emperor is connected to Aries, powerful new beginnings, power structures, leadership, authority, and father figures. Look at your relationship to these aspects and meditate on how to better align yourself in a more empowered way.

• Have a bonfire, candle lit dinner, or fire in the hearth. Spring is a time to celebrate making it through the cold, dark, hard times. To honor that which kept us literally and symbolically alive the last six months of the year, to give thanks to the lightness of being that always comes back around. We are deserving of this joy and moment of reprieve, soak it up with those who love.

Written by Alexa Rae

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