by Jean Kowalski
For days you’ve been watching the calendar with your sights on the first day of spring. It’s getting closer and closer and you can actually feel the sun getting warmer. The robins start returning, the lakes and rivers are melting, and then within a blink, you feel totally crushed with the vision of what is outside of your window. Snow. Yes, more and more snow. Didn’t Punxsutawney Phil say we were having an early spring?
The seasons come and the seasons go. Along with the seasonal changes, our bodies and minds attempt to keep up with the flow of our ever-changing mother earth. We, in fact, are very closely attuned with the earth and the changes she experiences. Whether it’s going from one to season to another, witnessing weather changes or cataclysmic occurrences, or just feeling the day-to-day activities: sun, rain, wind, and snow. It is learning how to adjust and flow with these changes, so you are able to easily shift from one season to another.
As we, collectively, move into greater unity consciousness, we become aware of our One-ness with each other and the earth. Through the various seasons, our bodies, which include our emotional, mental and spiritual bodies, begin to mimic or move with the changes. Let’s look at our time during the cold winter months. This is the time for going inward, slowing down, resting, dreaming, planting the seeds of our dreams and even hibernating. Just as a tree sheds its leaves in the fall and goes into what seems to be a dormant stage, our being goes into the stage of slowing down and turning inward. We need to tend to ourselves gently by resting, meditating, building a strong immune system, and enfolding our entire being with love.
Spring is here after a long, grueling cold winter. With the arrival of springtime, comes an opportunity for renewal and birthing of all those dreams that were planted during those long winter days. You may feel the energy or life returning to that once sleepy body. The sun begins its trek higher in the sky, hence filling our souls with warmth. You even notice that your breath is going deeper and deeper, as if the deep breathes are now filling you to the core. Your sight becomes clearer as you observe the simple new growths of the plants as they push upward through that once frozen soil. Yes, spring is here and you have come back alive!
As you see, the more present or aware you become, the more your Be-ing flows perfectly with the earth. So much so, that in times of great earth changes, you may actually feel what is taking place— thunderstorms, earthquakes, hurricanes. This is an opportunity to go within and observe what may be going on inside of you that may feel like an earthquake or wind and rain. Are there challenges that need your attention? Are you taking care of yourself? Have you taken a moment to focus on your breath?
Contemplation and meditation time creates a space for you to go within and connect with your true inner being, the peacefulness that lies deep in your heart. By choosing to allow space for the change of seasons to be seen, felt, experienced, and acknowledged, it is easier to stay present for the ever-changing shifts in our personal realities. Become aware of the subtle energetic shifts within your feelings, a simple word being shared, and even the thoughts running through your mind.
Spend time basking in the delightful spring sunlight. Feel it nourishing and feeding the seeds deep inside that were planted during the long winter months! See yourself coming to life, illuminating the divine light of your dreams and desires. By allowing the sunlight to bathe you, your manifestations will come to fruition right before you eyes.
Now is the time to reach out to one another, go for a walk in the park, share a cup of tea and a laugh with a friend, and BE present to the flow of the ever-changing seasons on the earth, as well as within the body. Find support by utilizing the gifts of our changing Earth Mother: essential oils, herbs, flower essences. With each new day, continue to hold onto the hope and faith of re-NEWal of mind, body, and spirit. Remember with each footstep on this earth, the shedding of the old winter attire takes place and the juicy-ness of spring creeps back in!
Jean Kowalski LMT, ATP®, owner of Colors of Joy Healing Arts Center in downtown Eau Claire, has over 16+ years of experience in alternative and integrative healing. Jean brings to the community a wealth of wisdom and healing knowledge, by offering individual and group healing sessions, workshops, and gatherings. For more information, Jean may be reached by email: jean@jeankowalski.com. Website – www.jeankowalski.com