A celebration of growth and expansion on the Spring Equinox
Growth can be a pain. It requires stretching, expanding, and opening to change. Sometimes remaining in the womb of winter, hidden in the soil of the earth, seems easier than emerging into the returning light of spring. That place of incubation is a safe space for our dreams; once those ideas are born, they feel delicate and exposed. It might be dark down there, but at least it’s comfortable.
The energy of the unknown that accompanies change—whether it’s a new job, relationship, home, or project, or a new version of ourselves—can trigger fear or inspire courage. It can either throw us into the debris of the past and project us into “what if”s in the future, or it can create an opening in the present if we surrender to the ebb and flow of life.
The Spring Equinox brings an energy of balance — equal parts day and night — that invites us into our center, into a place of wholeness that honors the many layers and shades of our being. This is a time to open to the places where we’re contracting, saying NO to life, or resisting growth, and find the places where we’re attached, holding on to what we love out of fear that it will leave us, and gently release our grip. We’re invited to explore our imbalances and examine our contradictions.
Where are we grasping for the light and avoiding our darkness? Where are we turning our face from the dawn and shrinking as the sun emerges? Where are we choosing self-protection and control? Where are we leaking energy by not creating loving boundaries? Where are our thoughts, words, and actions out of alignment? How can we gracefully bless the ending of one cycle and courageously step into the next?
The Toltec tradition associates spring with the element of air, which aligns with our mental/intellectual body, and our thoughts, awareness, and perceptions. When we embody clear perception—observing our thoughts, witnessing our stories, being impeccable with our words—we have the ability to use the mind in service of the heart. If we choose to create our reality from a place of love, then love is what we perceive in the world around us.
Our ancestors lived in harmony with nature. They were connected to the coming and going of each season, the changing moon phases, the celestial shifts, and through ritual they honored the death and rebirth inherent in the cycle of life. They celebrated the endings and the beginnings in equal measure. The arrival of spring brings with it an opportunity to cleanse old energies, from the body as well as the home and the surrounding environment, to create space for the new.
In the process of spring cleaning, as we de-clutter our closets, homes, and desks, we can also bring awareness to our inner world and what’s ready to be cleared out within. What beliefs and limitations are we prepared to shed? What old habits, patterns, and ways of being can we release?
Today is a celebration of the next season of growth and a chance to ring in the astrological new year with intention. Life has cleared the way for us to bring our new ideas, projects, or versions of ourselves out to play. We are invited to emerge from the hibernation of winter and blossom—to open up to living another cycle of life in full bloom.