According to the lunar calendar on February 17th we enter into the year of the fire horse. The new year brings with it the first day of spring, on the same day.
The energy of spring is quick and lively. Spring is the wood element. This is the element of growth, breaking barriers, vision, planning and creativity. Winter has been the season of soft rest, resilience, quiet, reserves and depth.
The energy of winter is yin within yin. This is like the roots being fully underground. The roots have been resting, sometimes growing slowly. In the beginning of spring, we begin the time of yin within yang. The outside energy is yang—active and lively- but the internal energy is still yin. Spring is not a time to force anything, or to overextend oneself. There may be plenty of natural energy to organically grow. Spring grows up from the soil naturally, without force. If there is over exerting, then we tax the roots, we attack the yin energy we have been cultivating in winter.
Spring is about flowing freely outside in the lush rain. Spring comes from a place of yin, though it appears yang. The yin energy of winter has built for us a foundation. From that foundation the green shoots begin to sprout. These sprouts are supple and flexible, not strong and imposing. It is the nature of spring to be as soft as it is relentless. The strength of spring is in its persistence and flexibility, not in hardness of stubbornness.
The wood element is all about vision. During winter, we cultivated deep rest, and within this rest the seeds of new hope and dreams took root.
The vision we are bringing into spring is that of new life, of hope, and a fresh start.
Cultivate and refine your inner vision as much as you begin to activate and grow again. The vision is the yin. The action is the yang. The action in spring comes from a place of yang. It is assertive but not aggressive. Stretch your muscles and your emotional body. Become flexible and malleable to changing circumstance. This is not the time for any rigidity. Move naturally, organically and without force. Force only breaks resolve, whereas ease fuels us and our dreams into fruition.
If we cling stubbornly to exactly how we want things to look and be, we will falter in spring. We must retain our softness, so as not to break our spirit.
Refine your visions and your dreams, confront and approach your desires and needs. Avoidance needs to go out the window!
Avoidance is the enemy of the wood element. The energy of wood is confrontational, it forces the issue because it knows that every obstacle can be overcome if we just put in the effort. It is not about forcing, it is about seeing clearly. “I can see clearly now, the rain is gone. I can see all obstacles in my way.” This line illustrates the wood element perfectly. Because we can see clearly, the obstacles melt away. Its important to mention that the obstacles still exist. The obstacles aren’t avoided, they are seen. By being seen, they melt away.
The earth element is the element that expresses in between seasons. So now, between winter and spring, we are blending elements. The earth element is all about creating stability and balance, which is why its role is to transition and transform seasons. Like a thunder storm occurs during weather shifts, the earth element is equally as disruptive and ground breaking as it is stabilizing. The earth must remain malleable and changing in order for new life to form. In a human being, this translates to muscle strength and stamina, to mental acuity and clarity, and to neuroplasticity.
All earth transition times are good times to take a breath and take stock. We are seeking balance, but we are also ok that we are in transition. Balance can look many different ways.
Earth time is the best time to meditate regularly, and to bring in new healthy habits.
The earth time from winter to spring is poignant in that it is a time to plant seeds. The earth element is all about abundance. If we plant the seeds of abundance in this time, then the spring season will take those seeds and help them to grow wildly.
The earth element is connected with the stomach and spleen, and to digestion. Digestion happens not only physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. This is a time to rest and digest, so that anything stuck and undigested can be.
Are there emotions you haven’t processed? Give yourself the space to contemplate, and to process unresolved emotions. Don’t leave anything to later.
Wood is our internal need to grow and expand. We cannot keep the energy of wood trapped for long, or else it turns to frustration and anger.
What are some areas of our life that we are avoiding growth in? Are we avoiding new relationships? Are we avoiding talking to someone we want to talk to? Are you avoiding cutting ties with someone you need to cut ties with?
How do you envision your life? Does your life now match what you envision? The answer will almost always be no, because you have a vision that needs to be acted towards. What are some small, or large, groundbreaking actions that you can take to move towards the life you dream of? What are some tangible changes you can make that will break down the obstacles in your way?
Meditate on a lush green forest in spring. The birds are singing and all the animals are twitterpating. You are in this forest and this forest is in you. There is fresh hope and life all around and within you.
Now imagine this forest in your mind and heart. Where does this deep sense of hope and vision come from? Don’t answer the question, stay within the question. Meditate on this lush green place of hope within your soul, without naming it or defining it. Bring this energy into your whole body, bring it into your mind. Visualize what this energy looks like in your life.
