Spring has always been a time of celebration. The end of the winter and the rebirth of the natural world was/is a time of great relief--existentially speaking. Things are looking up in spring. The cold and dark winter magically transforms into the warm and colorful spring. Now is time to reunite with friends and community, time to harness spring's powers to grow food and raw materials, time to tend, nurture, celebrate and give thanks. Even for the world's city dwellers, springtime is a time for celebration--to play, party, dance, work on new projects, initiate new beginnings, reunite with people, meet new people and start new relationships.
Unfortunately, due to social and physical distancing, we are unable to fully experience and embody spring in the ways we have traditionally done so--by celebrating with friends, family and community, out on the land and out on the town. What are the psychological impacts of this separation from the powers of spring. And how can we mitigate some of these impacts?
By cultivating, honoring and celebrating the "inner-spring" (the forces of spring that permeate us, just as they permeate the natural world) we can do our best to make up for the losses suffered from our separation from the "outer-spring."
These two videos contemplate the deeper psychological meaning and purpose of spring through the lens of the pagan holiday Beltane. Beltane occurs at mid-point between the spring equinox and the summer. It is at this magickal midpoint, this central place, that we acknowledge and honor the very heart of spring, rebirth, growth and energy. Let us open our hearts to the heart of spring and watch and feel it grow!