Spring Returns, As Ever She Does

We are living in uncertain times, and it is easy to feel overwhelmed. But Spring has returned, bringing new energy to lift us up and help ground us at the same time. As the vernal equinox has just passed we are being infused with fresh energy. We can engage in her invitation to spring forward.

We can do this in different ways, physically and spiritually. We can nourish ourselves by eating some of the hardy wild plants that burst out of their dark slumber into the growing warmer and lighter days of spring. Dandelion greens are coming up, and so is wild garlic mustard. These and the tiny artemisia leaves now popping through the soil are all energizing additions to your spring salads.

Spring is a great season for doing simple rituals. A well-known one is spring cleaningî. Don’t be afraid to create your own rituals, too. They help you get to know yourself better through your own tailor-made rituals for reconnection to the earth and to cultivate your personal growth your own way. Here is an excerpt from my book Healing Magic: A Green Witch Guidebook to Conscious Living to help you get started:

Creating Simple, Everyday, Personal Rituals

Some of my favorite rituals are the ones that I make up on the spot. Once I was dusting in my house,and trying to find a way to enjoy it. I turned it into a ritual by deciding that as I dusted my crystals and herb bottles, plants and tabletops, book covers and shelves, I was dusting off old habits that were not really me, habits that were covering up the real me and keeping me from feeling fully vibrant and alive.

Cleaning out the bathtub drain (not my favorite activity), I decided that all the yucky stuff that was being removed represented shame and self-judgement. It was now my conscious choice to clear it out and see it for what it really wasóold debris that did nothing for me except clog up my mind and natural creative flow of expression. It certainly didn’t help anyone else either! I could see it for what it was, and I could see that it was no longer attached to me. I was letting it go.

I also encourage you to go outside for some of your rituals. Plant a seed!

Staying healthy during Spring as we slowly emerge from our winter slumber is important. I see the nettle poking up from the ground, looking around to see who else has come out to play. Nettle (Urtica dioica) is a spring powerhouse.

Here is an excerpt from a poem in The Gift of Healing Herbs: Plant Medicines and Home Remedies for a Vibrantly Healthy Life that celebrates some of nettle’s healing gifts.

She builds our strength, kidneys and lungs, and helps us heal whatever comes. Her minerals that nourish blood, nerve and bone help us flourish.
Green stamina for you and me, charged with herb electricity! Fuels adrenals for energy and strong potent immunity. Drink your nettles quite a lot, or eat them cooked in your soup pot.

Drink nettles! They will ground and strengthen you with optimum nourishment and if you suffer from spring allergies, this infusion will help ease both short-term symptoms and long-term chronic allergies.

Spring Blessings!

Originally published in NY Spirit magazine.