Sunday, March 17, 2019

Spring Forward!

Nothing stands still. The Earth spins on its axis each day, and though we can’t feel the movement, we see the effects as morning becomes noon, as the sun moves into the west, as darkness descends once again. 

The Earth also travels around the sun, and though that dance takes longer, it shows itself in seasonal change. The Vernal Equinox arrives this Wednesday, March 20th, but already we see the effects. The sun reaches higher in the sky. Daylight increases. Birds raise a holy racket at dawn. Fawns, calves and little pronghorn cavort in the fields. 

All of this reminds us that it is time for us, too, to move into the next stage of our own lives. Unformed though that phase may be, we can begin to feel our way into it, right here, right now…
As you read these words, become aware of your breath. This simple act of breathing with awareness, in and out, often drops us into the place of stillness that is always there, even when we forget. 
Begin to catch up with yourself after a week that might have been busy or delightful or challenging. Without judgment or analysis, simply recognize the truth of these last few days. 
Now expand your awareness to include the last several months, linking those in turn to the years that came before. Come into a felt sense of your life as a whole, and all that has brought you to this moment in time. 
Become aware now of what might be wanting to burst through the rich soil of your being this Spring. It might be an attitude you’d like to cultivate, to become more loving, for example, or to open more fully to the voice of Spirit in your life.  
Or perhaps there’s something very specific your heart longs to express in the world, or a new direction that’s calling you. Or maybe it’s merely a deepening of all that already is. 
You know these things cannot be forced, so if nothing comes to you now, trust that, since spring is the time of new growth, something will likely emerge over the next few days or weeks, particularly as you remain attentive. 
Yet, with the impulse to grow, there is often an urge to hold back as well. No surprise, in this Yin-Yang existence we’re embedded within. For now, simply note what might inhibit the forward movement Spring encourages, and open to guidance on how best to greet both the urge to create something new, and its friend, the desire to remain secure with what is known. Take a few more moments, opening to whatever might come. 
Become aware once again of your breath. And following your breath for a few more rounds~~inhale naturally giving way to exhale, exhale opening into inhale~~perhaps you'll notice a continued connection to that stillness that is always there, even amid the busyness of life.  
We are not separate from the Earth, but part of it and responsive to its rhythms. When we sync our inner process with that outer one, we receive aid in our task of becoming all that we can be. 

I wish you wonderful things as you grow further into the fullness of your being. May it be a joyous Spring.

Leia

2 comments:

Carolyn said...

As I read your new post, I couldn’t help but think of our journey through Lent. The video Your Best Lent Ever says not to give up chocolate, but to grow during the forty days! Take on a positive nature, become a “holy nobody” doing anything that is good without any recognition. Smile at your coworkers, give a compliment etc. In your words, be conscious of your breathing, get to know yourself. If you can do all of this for 40 days, think what you could do with the rest of your life!

Blessings!

Leia said...

Just beautiful, Carolyn! Shifting from Lent's usual doing without~~which can still be a perfectly wonderful practice, we who have so much~~but to do WITH...to do the best one can do with each day, with each breath. Not from some sense of needing to earn our worth or trying to be perfect, but simply because it feels good to be in that space. Thank you for reading and for writing, Carolyn!