At last, April is here! Finally, it feels like winter has passed. I like winter, and enjoy hunkering down for some serious dreamtime while watching the snow fall. But by March, let’s face it, it’s wearing a little thin. In March, spring arrives at the equinox as it does everywhere in the northern hemisphere; but at least where I live, spring’s arrival is frequently a matter of faith! There’s not much evidence on the ground.
By April, all that has changed. Buds are swelling, spring flowers are in full bloom, and the air blesses us with that wonderful loamy scent of new growth, especially after a rain. One of the pleasures of the season for me is listening to the spring peepers, tiny frogs that make quite a racket this time of year.
Our culture’s dominant symbols of spring (bunnies, baby chicks, lambs, eggs, and flowers) are at least superficially rooted in Christian symbolism. Looking back a little deeper, it’s not hard to see the pre-Christian roots of pagan fertility festivals still present, even though we may not be aware of that fact. For a change, instead of looking at these symbols through a religious lens (of any sort), let’s have a peek simply through the lens of Nature’s cycles. These symbols of spring all center around newness: new green growth, newly born animals, eggs waiting for baby birds to peck through the shell and so on. Everything is new again. The long winter has passed, and life goes on. There’s a freshness all around. Spring simply feels different. The energy has shifted, and we are beginning again. This is Nature’s message, and it has found expression in spring’s holidays throughout the ages alongside the religious messages of many faiths.
If you read my January column, Natural Beginnings, I wrote that now is a natural time for a more intuitive approach to the new year. Does it feel that way to you? This spring, use the symbols of the season as a starting point for your own reflections. What in your life is ready for a fresh start? What are you ready to release, to let melt away like winter’s snows? What part of you feels tender and vulnerable, like a newly hatched baby bird? Be sure to take gentle care of that part.
Imagine yourself as a flower emerging from a spring bulb, reaching and growing toward the strengthening light. Meditate on that image for a while. What meaning can you discover for your personal circumstances? While you’re at it, go outside for a meditative walk. Do it on a rainy day (perhaps in a pleasant April shower) as well as a sunny one. Take an umbrella if needed, and simply enjoy Nature’s new beginning.
Especially in these tough times, a tangible experience of a new start can be tremendously helpful. Nothing in Nature (except extinction!) is ever really final. Nature begins anew every season, recycling last year’s detritus into rich compost in which to grow something else. The cycle moves onward, and nothing lasts forever. Economic crises don’t last forever, nor do personal crises. Spring comes after winter. Embrace it, and enjoy the symbols and the season of spring.
