New beginnings

22 March 2023

It is the time of the Spring Equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere (if you are in the Southern Hemisphere you can read my Autumn Equinox post here) that special time when the daylight and darkness are the same the world over because the sun is right over the equator.  As it begins its journey North we will get more sun over the coming weeks, our days will get longer and our nights shorter, its warmth will return.


In the heart of a seed
Buried so deep
A dear little plant
Lay fast asleep

Wake said the sun
And creep to the light
Wake said the voice
of the raindrops bright

The little plant heard,
And arose to see
What the wonderful 
outside world might be
K Brown

Everything in nature is coming alive and awakening, as the sun gains in strength and the days are longer and warmer.  Blossom and catkins will or are, depending on where you live, be appearing on the trees, spring flowers are starting to appear and the animal kingdom are preparing or having their young.

We have spent the last few months, the months of dark of cold resting and recharging.  Now that the days are slowly growing longer and nature is coming alive, we can awaken our inner energy.  We can start to give form to the ideas and plans we have been thinking about and give them shape and direction.

At the time of Samhein, we sowed the seeds of future plans, of thought and ideas which we have been holding on to during the time of dark.  Now at this time of emergence, this time of fertility, we can start to give our plans shape, to help them grow.  If you haven't done so already now is a good time to share those plans with others. 

If it is your thing, a seed meditation is a lovely way to feel connected with the Earth at this time of awakening and emergence.  Get yourself into a comfortable sitting position somewhere outside, if you want to you can close your eyes.  Imagine you are a seed full of life, plant yourself into the warming Earth, feel the water of life falling on you gently until you begin to open up.  Feel you roots growing and reaching down into the Earth, they are soaking up and drinking all the wonderful nutrients the Earth provides  Feel a shoot unfold in the the air, your leaves unfolding and soaking up the suns rays.  You have everything you need to grow, for your well being, you are in radiant health. Open your eyes when you are ready.

The equinox is a time of balance, the night and day, the light and darkness are equal.  Some would say this is a time when the inner and outer worlds we inhabit are also in balance, equals.  We can use this time to look at areas of unbalance in ourselves, be kind to yourself whilst you give thoughts to these to help you rebuild positive thought patterns for your future.

It feels particularly poignant, that the wheel of the year is at the time of balance whilst we are feeling that the world around us is anything but.  It is more important than ever to find a balance in our lives, if we feel ourselves being pulled into a world of worry and anxiety, with actions that make us feel positive.  It is important that we don't feel bad for doing that, we are not going to get through this without this balance.  We will not be able to support and care for those that we love if we are not in a strong and as stable as possible position ourselves.  Make the time to work out the things that you need in your life to keep you positive, whatever they are, keep them near.

This is the time of new beginnings, a time to start new things, to go in new directions maybe strike out on our own to make things happen.  This is a time of hope.

Over the coming weeks as our plans for the future start to take shape, blossoming into reality, like the world around us waking up, our actions will be guided by the positive side of ourselves.  

If you can spend time outside, do so, going slowly, noticing.  Give thanks to Mother Earth for the new growth, the eventual return of the warmth, the transformations that are slowly unfolding around us, for her fertility and abundance.

Feel yourself to be part of that energy and life, bursting from the earth.  In this time of uncertainty I do hope that you can find hope, ways to stay positive and a sense of balance.

26 comments:

  1. Good thoughts here, thank you. I always enjoy your posts on the turning of the year. I spent the day doing some seed starting, real seeds though, and also thinking ahead to the gardening year ahead. It has been very cold here, so not easy to feel the change, but we know it is coming.

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    1. It is hard to feel the change when it is cold, the start of spring is never a warm time. I need to get on with sorting real seeds too, I always leave it so late to buy them.

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  2. We were in Scotland at the time last week but our neighbours told us we had 10" of snow here last week, so I could hardly believe that we have plants with buds on all over the garden when I looked out today. If this sunshine and showers we are having at the moment persists then everything will be growing quite quickly - I just fear that they might be caught out by more frosts to come. I have plans and am hoping for a bit of time to get them underway but with the Easter break almost upon us the chances are looking slim! I do feel I am coming alive with this little bit of sunshine though - it is good to feel the warmth on our daily walks at long last.

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    1. It is lovely to feel that warmth in the sun, I so agree, it is those little changes which shows that spring is on the way.

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  3. I love this time of year, the days gradually lengthening and getting warmer, and so much colour around too after the bleak winter months. It's noticeably lighter on an evening now and will be even more so when the clocks go forward this weekend, those lighter nights make me feel more productive as we can get more jobs done on an evening, especially outdoors.

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    1. It is a lovely time of year Jo, I so agree. The lighter evenings are wonderful and change things so much.

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  4. Nature and gardens bring so much joy. I do love this time of year and I have a walk round the garden most days to recharge my batteries. My creative endeavours are also important to me. As you say, it is about that balance.
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. I love the idea of walking round your own garden to recharge your batteries, how wonderful.

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  5. Lovely words. I will use your seed meditation tonight when I do my usual. The change in seasons always makes me anxious. I feel very vulnerable especially going from winter to spring. I like the coziness of winter. I like being under layers of clothes. I'm feeling rather exposed as those layers come off.

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    1. I hear you on the coziness of winter and not being ready to shed those layers just yet. It is still very cold here despite the subtle changes in the seasons, it will be a while before we can shed those layers.

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  6. This is lovely. I am 5+ weeks into seed starting already, but I like the idea of seeing myself as a seed. Every year I can feel myself wake up from the winter months and become more active and inspired.

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    1. Thank you Sarah. Wow five weeks into seed starting, that's amazing. It is definitely a time for waking up and doing more, I can feel my energy levels changing.

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  7. I missed the spring equinox this year, how terrible. Thank you therefore for sharing your thoughts, which are lovely and poignant. Lovely to enjoy the brighter mornings and evenings, isn't it?

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    1. It is lovely to enjoy the brighter mornings and evenings. Thank you for your kind words.

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  8. I am ready for spring and light jacket wearing! The weather is hinting towards milder temperatures and my daffodils are blossoming!

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    1. Daffodils are such a cheery sight at this time of year, ours are nearly there.

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  9. A really lovely thoughtful post, full of comfort and balance.

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  10. I love your posts about the changing of the seasons. it helps to be reassured by the world around us, reminding me there is a reason I tend to feel off kilter during these times of transition. Xx

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    1. Thank you Jules, I so hear you feeling off kilter at transition times. We do need to remind ourselves that we will be ok, and that it is ok to feel off kilter too.

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  11. Today really did feel like Spring with the sun shining, chiff chaffs singing, sand martins darting around back from abroad and violets and wood anenomies in the little woodland. Sharon from sunshine & celandines. X

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  12. I always love your positive posts. They are like a breath of fresh air. Have a lovely week. B x

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  13. I love that spring is most definitely here, despite winter making a later appearance with some snow earlier in the month!

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  14. A wonderful post as always. I loved the poem and the seed meditation. Here's to happier days for all.xxx

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  15. That is lovely, I am certainly needing to rebalance myself after this long dark season. I can almost feel my body starting to wake up. Enjoy the season. x

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  16. A belated happy spring Equinox! What a lovely post. I can feel Mother Earth's fervent energy working away at this time of year. I hope you are keeping well. Lulu xXx

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