Spring is the new New Year

Spring is not one of my favorite seasons. It's actually #3 of 4 for me, but I have a newfound appreciation for it. Last week I co-created a Spring Equinox/Full Moon ritual with the owner of the yoga studio where I practice. This container allowed me to more deeply explore the energetics of this season that I often write off because I'm colder than in winter and more sickly (*cue sniff* seriously, a cold has swept our entire county).

I feel the possibility in Spring. No longer are we in the dream time of winter, snuggly warm making resolutions while sipping tea and admiring how good they sound. Many subtle signs get us in motion. The light has shifted. A quarter of the year has passed (eep!). The temps are actually climbing, but the damp chilled feeling doesn't dissipate until you actually get your body moving. That internal warming is key. Even the sniffles and colds keep us going as the movement alleviates a lot of congestion and pressure while also keeping us from over doing. Built up stagnation gets a nudge.

The ritual's main focus was on seeds, metaphoric and literal. With the Full Moon falling right on the Equinox, that energy allowed time for reflection. What seeds have you been sowing in your life since Winter Solstice? since the New Year? since a year ago? It's good to look back, honor and assess. But not dwell. I took a moment to look at what I've been doing, cultivating, talking about and feeling. Beneath the actual activities and thoughts, I looked for the seed. There was a whole variety. There were seeds of doubt, judgment and insecurity mixed in with seeds of love, happiness, security, possibility and curiosity.

We took the reflection deeper, acknowledging that each of us is a seed, lovingly passed forward from generation to generation until our germination was just right. We arrived here and are growing. Hopefully blossoming. The question to ask is, What is the seed of intention sown within me? You can trace this seed back eons, but it's even helpful to wonder: What did my great grandparents seed in their future that was handed to my grandparents and to my parents? What type of seed am I?

I don't know my great grandparents, but what I do know is that they are the ones who left their home country to come here. I have a certificate from Ellis Island. That's all I know. I never heard any stories but have made inferences, a fancy word for judgments in this case. Those fell away when I thought of that seed passed forward, carried lovingly across an ocean to arrive here to new, hopefully more fertile land. I felt the seeds of bravery, hope and courage as well as fear, sadness, curiosity, possibility and potential. A stubborn momentum to keep moving forward. A willingness to cover uncharted territory. Stamina. Discipline. An eye for the new. Freedom. Independence. Other things I couldn't find words for.

This entire questioning happened during 30 minutes of lunar yoga practices. If you are inspired, try doing this reflection while exercising, even if only 10 minutes. The flow and movement in the body helps release the churning grip of the mind. At times all I could focus on was breathing and regaining equilibrium. But the questions were there, layers were peeling back, and some seeds were revealed. Simply jot these down, whatever words or phrases arrive.

Suddenly, in a few moments, I knew myself more and understood the garden I have growing within. I felt a new compassion for my lineage and more curiosity about history.

Since the Equinox — Spring — is so much about balance and harmony represented in the light that's equal on that day and now lengthening, it's important to also look ahead and reflect on the future from now until you are the great grandparent (maybe not literally as some of us don't have children like myself but the time span still applies). Whatever seeds you saw in your garden, here's a chance to round out your offerings or plant more of what you love or balance out the less desirable seeds with new things you are calling forth. Be experimental.

Spring is such a wild card season. I recommend gathering seeds — so many seeds — and scattering them like crazy. There may be arugula for quick harvest, fruits planted with an eye for the years away they may reproduce, flowers for beauty. This is all metaphor. You get it. They key is: don't hold back. Spring is the perfect time for taking chances. Asking for what you want. Get specific. There may be goals and intentions mixed in with broader values such as kindness and creativity. A new couch alongside the desire to cultivate lovingkindness for your neighbors with different political views and saving money for your daughter's wedding. Who knows what will come up.

Once again, if you want to follow along, return to physical movement for this phase. We often think we know what we want until we are gasping for breath, realizing all we want is fresh air and for the pain to stop. Beneath the drama, some interesting seeds show up.

Write all these down, on a new paper. If you can, write them on seed paper (I found some on Etsy) so you can rip it up afterwards and literally plant the pieces all over the place. You can do this even with regular paper for the motion of giving over to the earth for cultivation is a beautiful nurturing release/activation.

You are the master gardener of your life. You may have some precious seeds that you nurture in a greenhouse, but I also suggest throwing some seed bombs along the back country roads. Spring is the time of wild sowing. Once you see what sprouts, the time for weeding, focusing, cultivating and creating space arrives. Who knows what will take root.

After this sweaty ritual, I had a nervous feeling the next day. Oh my gosh! What did I write down? Did I call in some of the things I'm working towards right now? No worries, grab another piece of paper and do another brain dump. Rip it up and repeat. Get all those seeds out there. I chose to burn the first list of seeds of reflection and ancestry, as a means of honoring and also releasing any obligations or strings attached. Ashes make for good fertilizer to help nurture the new.

We're technically past the Spring Equinox, but you can harvest this energy of both reflection as well as potential that this season has to offer. Let me know how it feels if you give it a try!