Embracing the Equinox ...

Spring and all its flowers

now joyously break their vow of silence.

Hafiz

 

Hi Everyone!

Today, the Equinox, (a twice yearly time of equal day and night), has arrived, heralding the onset of Spring. And Spring, the beginning of earth's creative cycle, invites us to open to the subtle awakening of the earth and to move with it into our own full blossoming. Spring is a time of renewal and of welcoming new life, a time of beginning again.

Here in Vancouver, we've had a beautiful Spring weekend with trees exploding into bloom, daffodils dancing in the wind and sunlight bouncing from the lakes and ocean. For many, it's been a time of joy and spontaneous activity. For others, these new beginnings have caused a fresh round of melancholy and yearning as the new has, inevitably, triggered echoes of the old.

The Equinox is a time of balance. We have the opportunity to notice and listen deeply to both sides of Spring, the ending and the beginning, to make space to say goodbye to the old and to open our eyes and hearts to whatever is emerging anew. It is also a time to just "be" with the dynamic energy of veriditas, "the greening of Spring", so we can discover our deepest longings, recognize unnoticed gifts and consider the next steps in our journeys of life.

It takes some conscious intention to participate fully in the possibilities of Spring. Poet, Lynn Unger, points out in her wonderful poem, Camas Lilies, that if we are not careful, our busyness can cause us to miss out on precious opportunities for new life:

And you -- what of your rushed and

useful life? Imagine setting it all down --

papers, plans, appointments, everything,

leaving only a note: "Gone to the fields

to be lovely. Be back when I'm through

with blooming."

Our world is full of abundance and creative spark. It is always possible for the old, dry and seemingly deadened within us to spring into life. Why not take a few moments today to notice what is awakening this Spring? What are you seeing around you? What is happening within?


If you would like help to make space for your process of awakening and growing, you are welcome to join us for the Spring 2016 Caring On Empty Workshop for Helping Professionals on May 6th at the Granville Island Hotel in Vancouver. Just email me at caregiverwellness@shaw.ca for a brochure. The registration deadline is extended to April 22nd.

Veriditas II ...

A person who toils more than her body can bear

is rendered useless in her spirit

by ill-judged roil and abstinence.

Living hopelessly and joylessly, that person's sense often fails.

Hildegarde of Bingen

Hi everyone...  Last spring, I wrote a blog post on self-care called, Veriditas. At the time, I understood veriditas to mean the greening force of spring but I was far from comprehending the depth and power of the concept.

This year, after almost twelve months of reading about Hildegarde of Bingen (an amazing German abbess who, at a time in the 1100's when few women could read, was an early feminist, ecologist, herbal healer, poet, playwright, mystic, and composer) and after a month-long mandala retreat based on her writings, I have a much deeper understanding of both the woman and her veriditas. And I think she has much to say to those of us who have become desiccated and arid (ariditas) through caring for others while not caring so well for ourselves.

The verse above, taken from one of Hildegarde's letters, is a perfect description of my own state in the last weeks of my husband's life. I was physically exhausted, my spirit was dry through roiling turbulence and abstinence from the things that might have kept me moist, juicy and verdant. I felt little hope or joy, and as many will tell you, my sense - common or otherwise - was definitely failing.

Hildegarde saw veriditas as that life force which unifies all of life. She was most interested in the sense of life, radiance, vitality and aliveness in all creatures. She saw veriditas as the green sap that makes life possible. As author, Christine Painter, writes:

This green fluid, that is the source of life, is hidden below the earth, in the the roots of things waiting to burst forth in springtime with newness. Rain elicits this response. Hildegarde believed that humans draw forth this same green sap into our beings through the breath and the soul. The breath is the animating force, drawing in moisture and life.

Though Hildegarde was, of course, bound by the "science" and theology of her times, there is still great wisdom in many of her ideas. Let's try to apply some of them to our own lives:

Imagine where in your life you experience the dryness of ariditas. Where do you encounter complete lack of nourishment or anything to sustain you? Does any part of you resonate with this notion of barrenness and desiccation? Where have you become depleted in yourself and in your service to others? (Be sure to hold these dry and arid places with the utmost gentleness and compassion. This is not a time for judgement or self-criticism.)

Then, breathe the moist and verdant energy of veriditas into your body, your mind, your emotions and your spirit. Allow it to fill your being with life-giving greening power. Then exhale, letting go of all the dryness and releasing its hold on you. Do this for several minutes.

Now, allow yourself to consider these three questions for reflection adapted from Christine Painter:

1.  Where in your life do you experience the greatest dryness or ariditas?

2.  Where is the greening of life most abundant for you? What are the things which bring you most alive and in connection with the greening life force at work in the world?

3.  Could you make some time to immerse yourself in one of these activities, or some small aspect of it, this week?

As you can see, veriditas isn't just a reflection of the greenness of nature, it is reflective of the very state of our true, authentic selves. We each have the capacity to bring forth new life just as the earth brings forth greenness. Becoming more aware of the quality of greenness of the earth helps us to see where in our aridity we need new growth.