Monday marked the beginning of the Chinese new year, the year of the Fire Monkey, and with it the beginning of spring in the Chinese astrological calendar. February 1st is also the day of Brigid, or Imbolc, a pagan holiday marking the coming of spring. “…Brigid represents the light half of the year, and the power that will bring people from the dark season of winter into spring…”
And we’re all feeling Spring these past few days in Portland, with the bright blue sky and sunny days. Everyone is out, rejoicing. The first crocuses are peaking their heads out of the earth. The bees are busy making work of the blossoming rosemary in my backyard. It’s the time of the “quickening,” when the earth re-awakens and the energy starts to rise. The breeze feels a little gentler and the sharp edge of winter is waning. It’s time to let our hair down and take a stroll in the blossoming light. It’s time to wake in the morning and stretch those rusty joints that have been hibernating all winter. Time to find strength in flexibility, like the young stalks emerging from the ground. Time to marvel at the incredible resilience and persistence of the force of nature. Time to soften ourselves, like the warming soil. Time to heal old wounds so we can be made anew.
The tiniest seeds push through the hardest of ground when the time and circumstances are right, but we can open the way a little by tilling and tending our garden. There is no avoiding the power of Spring, it moves in us like every blade of grass. This is our chance to plant the seeds that have been laying in wait during the dark times. These are the seeds that will sprout in fall, or sprout in generations to come. We plant them in our mind and in our heart, just as we plant them in the fertile dirt of our raised beds. Our intention is our internal gardener and each seed we plant holds an entire Universe ready to emerge. What seeds are you planting?