Spring brings the promise of renewal, new growth and vitality. To me, this season of the nature year is best described by the word Veriditas. This is a term coined by Hildegard von Bingen, a nun, visionary artist, composer and naturalist from the medieval period. She used the term Veriditas to describe the life-giving force that emanates through all of nature, and with humans as well, giving us the ability to self-heal and bring ourselves back into balance. It's the greening of the land in spring, and it's also the greening of our soul and a return to our vital essence of well-being.
To me, this is what spring is all about - trusting in the power of the greening of the land to return, but also trusting in our own abilities to bring forth the greening force within our own lives.
In a sense, this is what we are needing to do on a grand scale as we shift into a new paradigm of living on this beautiful earth. What if the only thing we need to do is to learn to live in harmony with the creation of nature? What would that look like for you? Is this humanity's task at hand? Is the path to the Golden Age to resemble nature's creation process in all we do moving forward? Is she the most valuable teacher of our time?
This is something I've been reflecting on as we are re-creating and re-envisioning our place here at Hawk Circle. How do we move forward in a way that resembles nature's creative process as well as practicing the way nature keeps herself in balance?
Like with nature, when the spring flowers send up their tiny shoots, they do so amongst dead leaves, twigs and all the remnants of the past year. When I look around our place, I see the new - the refurbished cabins with newly painted doors and siding, Eagle House, our brand new meditation/yoga space, but I also see the old, tired farmhouse that's in its final years, and an old barn that slightly sways to one side.
We're not all being transported to a whole new planet where we're starting anew. No, we are here, amongst the remaining greed, violence, racism and illness - surrounded by the old world. Where are the tender green shoots in our lives? Can we put the majority of our focus on growing the new, while allowing the old to fall away, and while tending to the clean-up of the old much like we do in spring?
For the time that we're in, I feel it's important that we turn to the power and wisdom of the spring season. That we have faith in renewal. That we turn towards the greening, the veriditas that spring brings so gloriously, and focus on bringing new things into our lives. But that we also don't ignore the old, and instead spend time learning from it, clearing it out and putting it to rest.
Here's to a fabulous spring season! May the wind and rain of this season bring renewal, hope and inspiration into your life.