This month we reach the midpoint of Spring. This month is Beltane; the cross-quarter day that marks the middle of Spring & celebrates the overwhelmingly fertile energy present in nature. The days have gotten noticeably longer, the temperature is warming. And we should be outside celebrating this incredibly joyful, positive, invigorating energy in nature.

Only … these are not things we are experiencing in our lives right now. At all. I’m pretty sure there’s not a single person on Earth who would describe the energy right now as joyful, positive, or invigorating.

In fact, this continued call to stay inside, having our lives grind to a halt, being required to socially isolate & spend day after day at home, is quite enervating. It completely zaps your energy. And every day this goes on it just gets more & more tiresome.

This is the time on the Wheel of the Year when we’re supposed to be making our shift outward. Traditionally, Winter is the time when the energy if focused inward, when we’re stuck inside, focusing on our inner  worlds. By now we’re supposed to be awake. All Winter’s inner work – all the inner growth & transformation we’ve been experiencing – is supposed to become all this expansive new growth we’re seeing in the outside world.

Just like all of nature is exploding outside – just like the  spectacular growth that the outside world is experiencing – we’re supposed to be experiencing all this flowering in our lives too.

In our work, in our relationships, in our spirits – we’re supposed to be flowering & experiencing expansive growth, in all kinds of new ways in our lives. But … it’s hard to experience this outward, expansive growth when you’re still stuck inside.

This discrepancy in the increasingly outward-focused seasonal energy, and the global pandemic requiring us to stay inside, is going to make this time even more challenging. Being mindful of this discrepancy in the energy is very helpful.

Right now the seasonal energy is shifting more & more outward. We are moving toward the most Yang dominant time on the Wheel of the Year. Yang energy is active, it’s outgoing – Yang energy wants to be out in the world, doing things, being social – definitely not being stuck at home. Our freedom of movement is greatly restricted right now, at a time when the energy is pushing us more & more into the outside world.

When the seasonal energy is encouraging us to do one thing, but the external forces are requiring us to go against the natural energy, this is inevitably going to create enormous dis-ease in our spirits.

Very similar to the struggles so many of us feel in Winter – when our bodies & spirits want to rest, but modern society requires us to continue working hard & moving at the same pace – this discrepancy between the seasonal energy & what our spirits are experiencing is going to be difficult.

And it will manifest in a variety of ways: in increased depression, in lack of motivation & inspiration, in feeling deeply tired, and then inevitably getting down on yourself about all of it. It is extremely challenging.

The very best thing you can do for yourself is to get outside as much as you possibly can!

Incorporate as much outside time in your day as possible. Include daily walks & outside time in your daily routine if you can. If you’re not able to safely get outside, open your window. Is there somewhere inside that where you can sit in the sunlight & feel the breeze? Whatever you can do to get some fresh air & sunshine will be so helpful right now!

The other things you can do right now is to look closely at what your body, mind & spirit need to feel healthy & strong. Do the Spring work of tending your inner soil right now. This is extremely important work this season.

One: because it will help you stay sane as we move through this incredibly difficult time.

Tending to the needs of your body, mind & spirit will help you combat the dis-ease you will inevitably feel from being stuck inside & restricted from moving – at this time when we are supposed to be stretching as wide as we can, this is supposed to be a time when we are expanding, not physically constricted.

And two: I believe this year’s extended incubation period is preparing us for massive, monumental, unprecedented growth to come, when we are finally unleashed back into the outside world.

One of the best things we can do to prepare for this growth is to strengthen our soil. The soil cannot support abundant new growth if it is not rich with nutrients. What does your own inner soil need right now in order to support the unprecedented growth coming in the months ahead??

Use this time right now to check in with yourself:
What does your body need to feel healthy & strong right now? What does your mind need? Your spirit?