Happy Spring! It's time for change,growth and regeneration.......
Happy Spring!
For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, we are welcoming spring, the season of new beginnings.
Winter is leaving, and so is our period of hibernation, made longer of course. by the Covid pandemic. Spring lets us know that the earth is coming to life again. Fresh buds are blooming. Color is returning. Gardeners and farmers are planting their seeds. Temperatures are starting to rise and the sun is showing its smiling face and its warmth.
Even with the one-year plus of living with Covid, we feel hope and renewal approaching. The necessity of staying in gives us more gratitude for getting out, just as the increase in vaccinations is giving us the hope of a new and hopefully, improved ‘new normal.’ As we appreciate the new beginnings of spring, we can start to be grateful also for some of the things the pandemic has given to us or, at least, taught us.
It has been challenging and plain tough for many folks, those who are poorer, or ill or struggle in any way. For those of us who are lucky enough to have our basic necessities taken care of and do not have to risk our lives every day, as healthcare workers and essential workers of all kinds do, we can become more consciously aware and grateful for what we have….
Many of us have learned the pleasures and challenges of time at home with our families, partners, ourselves…. Those of us who no longer have to commute to work have more time; time to be with family, partners, ourselves; time to go ‘inside’ and perhaps do some ‘inner work’ to start better understanding ourselves; what makes us tick and how we may want to change things.
This time of hibernation has shown us that change and growth are an essential part of the human experience. This is also what spring shows us. It lets us see that we must plant the seeds for future change, and that we must water and nourish them, to allow them to grow in a healthy and happy way. It’s time to get ‘out of the box’ and out of your house.
CELEBRATE!
Many cultures celebrate spring’s return, when nature blossoms.
In Japan, there is Hanami, the annual cherry blossom viewing. It is a time for gatherings and festivals at shrines and parks. Cherry blossoms, or Sakura, symbolize the transience of life, a major theme in Buddhism.
Jews celebrate Passover, where the story of the Exodus is told at the seder (special meal) of how the Jewish people went from slavery in Egypt, to freedom.
Christians celebrate Easter, which has roots in older traditions, like the Celtic festival of Ostara, which is a celebration of fertility and rebirth. The bunnies and eggs are symbolic of fertility and reproduction.
In parts of Europe, particularly in Germany and the UK, the maypole dance is a popular folk festival, with the pole symbolizing growth and regeneration.
There is a common theme here. Spring is a time of rebirth, renewal, and regeneration. It is felt in body, mind and spirit. There is a lightness of being, an excitement in the air, warmth, color, the beauty of nature and more………
As Mark Twain wrote; “It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want----oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but if just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”
Yes, yes and yes! So, welcome to spring and to the earth’s renewal, change and growth………………and yours too!
With smiles and love,
Dr Gigi
PS: If you’re ready for your own renewal, change and growth, I would love to hear from you. You can contact me at my website @gigiarnaud.com
It’s YOUR time to blossom!