Growing

"I asked, Why have I only received this? A voice replied. Only This will lead you to that."

~Rumi

Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers "Grow, grow." ~The Talmud

Spring is in the air (and with it, A LOT of pollen in Florida)! I love this season when our bare trees begin to sprout their new green leaves and a palpable sense of renewal can be felt all around. Every year at this time we clear out our little backyard garden and let the kids choose seeds to plant. This year we are attempting to grow broccoli, cabbage and peppers and the first little shoots have just surfaced this week. It is thrilling for us to watch the growth as it happens almost right before our eyes. The same feels true for my children who seem to be sprouting with equal speed. My "baby" just turned 7 years old I marvel at how fast she has grown!

This season invites us to consider what is greening and growing in our lives. Spring is a time of regeneration and rebirth. In the Native American tradition the cycles of life are represented in the four directions of the Medicine Wheel. Each direction relates to a different aspect of self: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Spring is the season associated with the direction of the East and connotes new beginnings, birth, infancy, sunrise and morning. Air is the element of the East/Spring and signifies the development of our thoughts and ideas; specifically a new vision for our lives. A particular focus on our physical health is recommended. This is a good time to begin or recommit to exercise and eating nutritious foods. 

Spring is also wonderful time to engage with your creativity and to make things with your hands. Plant something, play an instrument, cook a delicious meal, arrange flowers, paint, draw or learn something new. Take delight in making anything--it is such an amazing gift to access your creative spirit! 

The truth is that not all things grow as quickly as gardens and children. True personal growth--the development of our essential self and the cultivation of a creative vision for our lives takes a long time. Conscious growth is hard because of the strength of our conditioning and fixed belief structures. No matter how hard we try to change, so often it feels like nothing is happening. After years of working, learning, waiting, letting go, beginning again and working and waiting some more we find only the smallest evidence of growth--like a little tender shoot breaking ground. "That's it?" you may wonder??? That's all I get after all of the hard work and waiting? I see this often with my clients whose progress feels too slow for their taste. Their effort over the course of several weeks or months may have produced the equivalent of a tiny stalk when they were hoping for a tree with ripe fruit! But of course the tree first has to be a stalk. It's the only way it will become a flowering tree. The same is true for us. Real growth takes time and requires patience and consistent encouragement. It's far too easy to overlook or dismiss the small shifts and changes as they occur in our lives. 

Hildegard von Bigen, the German mystic referred to Springtime as veriditas, the true greening of ourselves and nature. This month consider what has been incubating and gestating over the last months that is now growing and greening in your life? What is needed to support that growth? In her book, Living in Gratitude, Angeles Arrien offers these questions to deepen your exploration:

• Who or what has inspired you?

• Who or what is challenging you?

• Who or what is surprising you?

• Who or what is touching or moving you?

Finally, spend time in nature and silence this month and notice what is taking root inside of you. Start to make a simple practice of appreciating and celebrating the smallest changes with respect for what they might be making way for in your life. 

Happy Spring!