Today is the first day of Spring, marking a day of equal length to night, where the sun and earth embrace to offer life and light.
Under normal circumstances, Spring marks a time of promise, built through balance, regeneration, and celebration. Under the circumstances we all share now, these celebrations will be different, reflecting solidarity with ourselves, each other, and the natural world.
Below I’ve shared some ideas for celebration along with books which you might enjoy reading in combination.
One. | REFLECT
In most ancient religions, a ‘coming of age’ ceremony would occur between the ages of 8-16. Children would be sent off on a solitary spiritual journey and come back ready for their next chapter. Similarly, we as a collective species are finding ourselves in a collective rite of passage requiring us to reflect on our relationship with ourselves, each other and the living planet and how we find balance in our roles as individuals and as humans in the web of life on this earth.
Two. | SOW SEEDS
Spring Equinox is the perfect time to sow seeds for the future, use this time to plant some of your own food, whether it is in a window box, or in your garden, it’s a powerful way to create new life and ensure future resilience for yourself, for wildlife, and for the earth.
Three. | GIVE THANKS FOR YOUR FOOD
At this moment we are seeing our ideas of infinite abundance are false, with empty aisles in the supermarkets we have for most of our lifetimes found our food. With each meal, give thanks to the farmer who cultivated your food and the life above and below ground who supported its creation. See if you can find a local, seasonal food box which can be delivered, and be sure to donate to your local food bank to ensure others who hold less privilege than you will be fed too.
Four. | TAKE NOTE OF THE NATURAL WORLD AROUND YOU
While we may be locked indoors at the moment, depending on where we are in the world, open the world and look outside and spend 10 seconds to 10 minutes listening and looking to the sounds of nature around you. Connecting to the visual and auditory side of our season’s changes will ground you to your surroundings, making room for new growth within you, and beyond you.
Five. | CLEANSE AND RESET
New Seasons ar the perfect time to reset and refresh everything around you. Once you’ve tidied up, cut up some lemons and mix them with water in a big bucket and use it to wash all the walls, doorknobs, taps, floors and surfaces. Once each room is refreshed, walk through each room and speak some wishes out loud for the type of reflection, creation and memories you might want to make in the coming days, weeks, months and years.
Six. | FIND YOUR RHYTHM
As Spring is a time for renewal and rebirth, establish a new healthy rhythm for serene days of self-isolation which will help you to create more balance in your life. Write out a shiftable schedule for which includes self and soul care, family care, community care, and care of the natural world. Stick to that schedule as best you can for two weeks, after that, the new routine will become a habit likely to stay (for isolation and beyond!).
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
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