The seasons are shifting. Can you feel it? On days like today, as the sun shines brightly in the heavens, we who dwell in Portland look up and shield our eyes.
“What is it?” we wonder aloud, “I’ve nearly forgotten this beautiful brilliance exists!”
Stretching our arms upwards, we find our eyes beginning to adjust to the light pouring down. Joining with the unfurling leaves and the tree branches welcoming the sap back into their bodies, we give thanks to our sun for shining again. Cognitively we know that Father Sun has never truly left. Still, the months of thick, beautiful cloud cover and the gifts of sweet, life-giving rain nearly made us forget our shining friend.
Looking around our yards and walking down the street, we notice the tiny tendrils of crocus grass and the beginnings of leafy daffodils and iris flares. The gray and brown branches so starkly defined against the white of the clouds are now sprouting tiny buds and hints of light-green leaf curls. Spring is nearly here!
In the months of February and March, the weather is bold — swift to change, wild and free. Storms blow through. They stir our desire to be outdoors again, awakening our spirits just as they awaken the seeds and bulbs in the earth. During this time of the shifting of seasons, it is a great time to stretch and move.
Taking time to walk outside barefoot in the sun breaks, listening to the birdsong and waking frogs in our nearby ponds, and gently trimming back the leaves that released their energy back into Mother Earth during the winter — these are all ways for us to reconnect and renew. Stretch in the sun today, dear ones! Or dance in the rain, if they are present in your reading of this reflection.
Take time to listen. Notice your breathing and muscles before, during and after your time outdoors. What do you notice? Has anything changed?
Would you like to talk about such things? One of my favorite packages, the Body and Soul Blend — an hour of massage and half an hour of Spiritual Counsel or Reiki — can be a great way to process your time outdoors (or to recover from a weekend of gardening when we’re out of the habit).
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