Happy Spring! With the vernal equinox just past, the days are slowly growing longer here in southeastern Wisconsin and soon they will be longer than the nights. The increasing warmth and the light draw us out of our homes to walk, run, and play, reveling in the warmer air and the sunshine. Fields and gardens will soon be planted, and before we know it those buds on the trees will burst out as leaves and flowers. Pagans are celebrating Ostara. Christians are remembering the death and celebrating the resurrection of Christ. In spring, it sometimes seems as if all the world is truly coming back to life.
But before we can plant, we must plan. What is it that we want to plant? What do we want to clear away and replace? What sprouted and flourished last summer? Where, and how, and when shall we plant? Shall we begin with seeds? Indoors or outdoors? Or perhaps we will begin with seedlings already sprouted. Shall we create a space for a mature plant in our garden? These are the kinds of questions gardeners and farmers ask, as they reflect on the previous harvest and look forward to the next one.
In April, one year, one cycle of seasons, will have passed since we planted the seed of this Drum & Journey Circle. The seed has sprouted, grown, and blossomed, and is now ready for transplanting! We are planning for the next cycle of growth, investigating potential sites for the circle in Bay View after the Marian Center for Nonprofits closes at the end of June.
In our personal/spiritual lives, this time around the Equinox is the perfect time to plan your inner garden. The ancients knew that the changes they saw in the heavens, and particularly in the amount of sunlight and the location of the sun’s rays at different times of the year heralded seasonal changes for everything alive. But perhaps they also saw it as a roadmap for their inner growth and development. The equinoxes and the solstices reminded them of the need to plan for the upcoming season of their lives, so that they might make the most of it. At our drum circle this month, we will journey for guidance on planning and planting our inner gardens.
We invite you to Drum & Journey with us, this Friday, March 25, in Rosetto Hall, Room 216, at the Marian Center for Nonprofits, from 6 to 9 PM.