What a magnificent and powerful day. We have emerged from the winter days and its dark mysteries to see new life grow once again. Spring is upon us and with her she brings a new moon and a solar eclipse. It isn’t very often that the forces of nature combine all together during a shift in season. I sit in awe at all of these forces and begin to relate them to my body- my Earth.
Of course, spring represents a time of renewal and hope of new life. But, more importantly it represents the death of the dark days of winter and- well- old life in a sense. It is a time to pay honor to those lessons that you have struggled to learn and those ideas that have been brewing inside of you these last few months and start shining a bright light on them. I don’t know about you, but this past winter was loud with her commands in the ways I need to heal, wake up and pay attention. Days were not easy but I dug in deep and knew that the dark was necessary in order to wake to a bright dawn.
What strikes me most about this spring equinox is that it falls on a dark, or new, moon in an eclipse! There is no greater symbol than the moon at representing the cycle of life from birth to death, dark to light, expansion to contraction. This cycle reverberates through every living thing. But for women it is a physical expression seen through her monthly bleed- the shedding of old and preparing for the possibility of new. For me and my past struggles with hypothalamic amenorrhea, connecting to the dark moon has been like coming home to a place you could always feel the importance and presence of but have never been. In order to wake to the rhythms of this power I had to, once again, look at what really needed to be addressed in my dark corners. I had to tune into my body and be brave enough to step into a relationship with something so ingrained in my being yet so distant- the rhythms and tides of Mother Earth. As I honored my dark, my flow and my rhythms it illuminated a deeper imbalance that I see in so many.
In nature we tend to see things from a more feminine point of view. And the current, necessary awakening and awareness around the feminine aspect within ourselves is strong at this time. Mother Earth and her rhythms embody all aspects of the feminine. But bring in this solar eclipse, the dance of Sun (masculine) and Moon (feminine), and we are reminded that the energies of feminine and masculine, light and dark, sun and moon, have to both be present for life to emerge- in perfect balance.
What does this all mean?
I work with many women with hormonal and emotional conflict in their lives. The dark moon has not been something to honor as important, like our monthly shedding of the old. I see men who are craving to be in tune with an aspect of themselves they have felt ashamed to connect with. They cannot express this fierce, sun warrior light they hold without ridicule or misunderstanding. Our ability to feel the rhythms of nature in tune with our own nature has been tampered out by so much societal noise. Our lack of self-awareness around the importance of journeying through light and dark times, within and without, has created emotional chaos in so many of us. We no longer honor the simple and the beautiful aspects of the miracle of life. We have been thrown off balance by not understanding how to nurture and honor both aspects of light and dark, masculine and feminine. All of this manifests in many ways in our lives but greatly impacts our sexual and hormonal health, our emotions and our creativity.
This Spring Equinox is here to deliver us a juicy serving of self-awareness- to shed, to light up with bright intention and to find the natural balance within and honor all aspects of ourselves so we can heal. Here are some reflections and actions you can take to honor this changing of the season within and without.
Ask yourself this… Take your time and be kind with your answers.
- What have you been holding onto that you need to let go of?
- What is your relationship with your beautiful bleed? (women)
- If you wanted to Spring 3 things to life what would they be?
- When you think of Mother Earth what emotions stir inside of you?- Do any?
- What do feminine and masculine energy mean to you? Where in your body do you feel these energies?
Sync up:
Honor the phases of the moon: As you now know the dark moon represents a time to shed and let go. Clearing space for new opportunities and clearing baggage each month will keep you focused and light so that when the Full moon rises you can set to action with bringing things to life. There are many simple rituals. You can write down those things you wish to shed at the new Moon, thank her and the Earth for hearing your heart, burn and bury. Light a candle on the full Moon with a clear and intentional prayer- sit in meditation and gratitude.
Understand the balance within: Every living thing has a feminine and a masculine side. In the human body the masculine resides in the right side of the body (right ovary for women) and the feminine in the left (left ovary). I guide clients through a meditation that connects these energies to various areas in their life. Simply tuning in and envisioning the sun/moon, fire/water balance can help you see where you may need to balance.
Seed cycle: This is a simple and nourishing way for women to balance their hormones with food. Seeds are the essence of life and Spring. By using certain seeds at certain phases of your cycle you can balance and connect. The quick version is consuming pumpkin and flax in your follicular phase and sesame and sunflower seeds in your luteal phase. Don’t know what follicular and luteal are? Want further guidance? Contact me…
Do a fertility cleanse: Cleansing is by far the most popular way to honor Spring and to let go of the old. Fertility cleansing to increase your awareness of your hormonal and emotional rhythms will also address stagnation in the whole body.
Plant some flowers: Physically getting your hands into the Earth is the most intimate way. Honor her and all of the elements that help us all grow.