Here in Melbourne the jasmine is out and the magnolias are blooming. The sun shines and the cold winds blow. This is spring.
On my early morning walk, a stranger and I exchange smiles and delight in the soft light. There is a bounce in my step. The world feels hopeful. A time of change.
Inherently change is challenging. Energy is required to take on new things and an openness to the world is necessary. But when we work with the energy and the inspiration of the seasons, these shifts can feel less daunting.
But apart from harnessing the energy of spring, what else can we do to support ourselves through a period of change?
It can be exciting to get swept up in the heady winds change, but to really know where we are moving to, it is important to take time to reflect on where we have been.
Here are the elements to consider -
By this, I am referring to the value of staying in touch with where we are. Taking time to slow down and check in with what is going on for ourselves in a ritualised way.
This may look like:
- weekly journaling
- daily meditative practice
- fortnightly therapy
- dream journalling
- regular artistic expression
- scheduled yoga practice
- monthly women’s circle
- equinox celebration
Notice the layered levels of reflective practice named here. All of these are invitations to slow down and be with self through different portals of experience – on our own, with other, through the body, through expression, with the seasons.
I invite you to consider your natural avenues of connection with self and build some consistent and varied rituals of reflection into your life, that tap into different aspects of you.
Top tip - go with what you are naturally drawn to and enjoy.
Whether a daily practice or a seasonal practice, rituals help give us structure and help us contain and deepen experience.
For me:
- I light a candle when I am meditating or journaling
- when I am in circle or shifting energy to mark a new beginning, I like to smudge and play powerful music
- cups of herbal tea are my go-to as I begin and end the day
- spritzing my favourite Room & Pillow Mist around myself and rubbing some Calming Herbal Balm on my wrists is how I like to prepare for my yoga practice
Top tip – go with aromas, tastes, textures, sounds that naturally appeal to you. As humans we are sensate beings, so engaging in rituals that invoke the use of multiple senses invites a deepening of experience.
Rituals of themselves are only as powerful as the clear intent behind them. So find the rituals that feel meaningful to you and engage with them with a clear intent.
This might look like:
- grounding yourself by mindfully connecting to your feet on the ground
- breathing a few cycles of nasal breath with a focus on a long outward breath
- connect inwardly
- become clear on your intention behind the ritual
- enacting the ritual from this place of grounded intent
Be with your body, be with your soul, be with your dreams. Make space for them to appear in your reflective practice. Notice with a gentle curiosity what arises. Hold what is there with care and compassion.
It is from the place of reflection that we can become more active architects of our lives.
How we shift from one state to the next, is so much about how we navigate the transitions. Reflection gives us space to know where we have been and begin to name our dreams for the future.
So as you find yourself unfurling from the winter hibernation, I invite you to take that little extra time to be with self, reflect and become clear on where you wish to move towards.
I will be doing the same and thinking of you as I take time to be with the invitation for growth and change.
Take care.
Love Sarah xx