It’s been so beautiful out that I have really felt Spring in the air. This morning, I was outside and counted 5 robins and 4 blue jays in my back yard. I thought, “Ah! Earth, Air, Fire, Water & Spirit and North, South, East and West.” I half expected to see one of our local stags stroll through the edge of the yard with a mountain lion in tow to represent the God and Goddess.
As close as I have felt Spring to be, it’s tough not knowing how long it will last. Just a couple of weeks ago, we still had a foot of snow outside and we are predicted to have snow on Sunday, the very day that we would do our planting.
As a Pagan family, we have never celebrated the Christian holidays, but instead have our own traditions around the time of the actual holy days. Santa comes the night before Winter Solstice, although we always move it to the closest weekend and celebrate the Solstice on the Sunday. Same with Spring Equinox. The Equinox Bunny comes on the Saturday night closest to the Equninox, which will be Sunday, the 22nd, the day we are predicted for snow.
Next week is supposed to get up to the 50’s (60’s this week!), so it won’t likely be another blizzard and with any luck, will not dampen the planting spirit.
We have had an interesting 12 week progression since our goals first came to us at Winter Solstice. I had no idea what to plant and decided to plant the weight loss of 100 pounds before Winter Solstice 2009. To put the idea out there for confirmation and re-direct, I started the process on January 5th and have had good results. Fifteen of that 100 pounds is now gone (I’m actually shooting for 105 pounds lost now) and I feel confident about the rest, especially to have achieved those results before I ever even planted the goal.
Eric is planting the finding of his life’s passion in terms of work, vocation, etc. He has several directions it could take. His own business has seemed to have folded under the weight of the economic times. He has been called to work for a former employer of his with him he has a great relationship, but the job has been put off for 2 months now, a week at a time, and now is not slated to started until March 30th.
He has a small job scheduled for next week, but we will not see any money from that for a month or more. In construction, clients pay pretty much when they feel like paying. It’s beyond frustrating. He is currently owed $1400 from two clients, very much needed for work done months and weeks ago and there is no sign of it coming. Meanwhile, we struggle to get by as so many others are doing.
It can be so challenging to keep the magic and faith alive when times are hard for long, long stretches. Both Eric and I have our times of stumbling and allowing ourselves to get pulled into the drama of fear and worry. No one is perfect, that’s for sure. We just continue to hold on and hope for better times, making sure that we take action when action is called for and remain still when stillness is what’s indicated. Day to day, we never know how we are going to get by, but the days do pass by and we tackle each challenge as it presents itself to us.
As the kids have gotten older, they still cling to the traditions we set up when they were little, which is very sweet. The Equinox Bunny leaves a basket on the heart with one plastic egg inside. The egg has a clue to where their next egg and a gift is located in the house and so begins a treasure hunt to find their Equinox gifts. They don’t seem as excited this year about hunting Equinox eggs, but they do still want to color them. Funny little ducks, my kids.
Eric and I will do our planting with Delena later in the day. The boys (9 and 11) aren’t particularly interested in the annual harvesting process just yet, but Delena started a couple of years ago. She’s 16.
Eric’s bean from last year is still thriving, but not producing. It will bloom little white flowers and they they die away. It’s hard to believe it has now been sitting on the window sill for a year.
In our tradition, Spring Equinox is the time when the Maiden aspect of the Goddess transforms into the Mother aspect and the Creator becomes the Protector. It’s also a reminder to us that we have to be grown ups now and take care of our harvest process instead of living in the dreamy, giddy world of the “kids” who planned our goals for the year. Now begins the active time of the year as we come out of the dark and into the light.
I hope your planting is well-blessed,
Katrina
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