004 - Awakening to Spring: Reflections and Practices for the Equinox

In this episode, we talk about the Spring Equinox (Ostara) and celebrating the Celtic Wheel of the Year, especially as a mother creating family traditions. The Equinox marks a threshold of balance (equal day and night), as well as the astrological new year. I see early spring as a slow unfolding, rather than a time to rush, encouraging the integration of winter lessons, releasing what no longer fits, listening to the body’s needs, and trusting in nature’s timing. I offer ideas for simple rituals to honor this sacred celebration, including witnessing the sunrise/sunset, spring cleaning for the home and cleansing baths/scrubs for the body, nature walks and seasonal watching, egg decorating, a gratitude practice, creating beauty, and a seed-planting ritual, plus journaling prompts on balance, joy, awakening, seeds, and growth.

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PS -- about this gorgeous music: it's the song: “What My Heart is Looking For” by Bonner Black from Soundstripe.com

Transcript

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Welcome to the Wild Return, a podcast where we explore womanhood as power, motherhood as alchemy, and the journey of remembering who we really are. I'm your host, Sarah Shot, a mother, Matrescence coach, womb guide, somatic educator, doula, and circle facilitator. I've spent much of my life on my own Rewilding journey back to my body, intuition, truth and purpose. And it's all culminated to this work right now of both mothering my babies in these times and supporting other women as they journey back home to themselves too. In this space, we gather to reconnect with how our womb and body motherhood, journeys, and nature are all gateways to our soul, healing and power so that we can live fulfilling lives, show up as the mother our kids really need and step into our unique role in creating planetary change. Because I believe that what the world needs now is wildly, deeply rooted mothers who remember exactly who they are and the power, clarity, courage, creativity, and joy that they hold and wield when they do so that we can do our part to birth the world. We already feel in our hearts. Our building in our homes and wish to see for all of us. Let's walk together. Hi, friend. Welcome back to the Wild Return Podcast. I am really excited to be sharing this episode with you because we're gonna be talking about the spring Equinox, which is this Friday if you're listening in real time, March 20th. And I'm really excited because celebrating the seasonal turns of the year, the wheel of the year, by myself has been a practice I have loved doing for years now, and ever since I became a mother, I have really, really deeply enjoyed bringing these practices into our family's lives and creating traditions around celebrating each of the markers in the Celtic Wheel of the year. And this Friday is the Spring Equinox or Ostarara. And this is like the dawn on the wheel of the year. It is the new day. It is a time of new beginnings and rebirth, and for me personally, this time of year really feels like the new year. January doesn't give me the new year vibes, guys. In the dead of winter, starting fresh new beginnings in the cold, dark, longest nights of the year just doesn't feel right to me. It's never felt right, but coming into this time of the year where you can feel and see life returning in nature all around me, I also feel that happening within me. I love this time of year. I'm really excited, although as I say that, I realize I love all of the celebrations on the wheel of the year now. Every one has such unique gifts and lessons and medicine and wisdom to offer that I've honestly come to love them all. Anyway, so we have the first day of spring happening on Friday. This is the spring equinox. It happens somewhere between March 20th and 23rd every year. And we have two equinoxes every year. We have the spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere here in March, and then we have the autumn one in September. And these are times where we're really noticing the big shift in daylight. It's this time of harmony and balance. So equinox means equal night, meaning that this is a time of year where the days and the nights are of equal length. And after the Equinox, we then are experiencing that big shift between how much of the day is dominated by light versus darkness. So the equinoxes are these big threshold moments for the planet that we live on. The Zodiac New Year also starts on the spring equinox. This is when one full astrological year ends. It ends with the season of Pisces, and then it begins on the spring equinox with the fiery season of Aries, where we have this fresh new energy that's just like ready to go. I mentioned earlier that the spring Equinox is sometimes also known as Ostara because in the Wheel of the Year, which is an ancient Celtic way of honoring the turning of the seasons, Ostara was an ancient Celtic goddess who was the goddess of fertility and new beginnings. And then there was also an ancient Germanic goddess called Eostre. I have heard it pronounced a few different ways, who was the goddess of the dawn and the returning of the light and renewal and springtime, and it's from the names of these goddesses that we now have the term Easter. These were originally sacred feminine, very rooted in the earth, based holidays, and this is where we get the symbols from this time of year. The eggs and the dying of eggs, and the hiding of eggs and having Easter egg hunts, the spring bulbs and seeds and the rabbits and hares, and the colors of the greens and the yellows and the whites. These all come from these nature based ancient traditions. So the spirit of this season is all about balance and harmony because it is the equinox where we have that equal day and equal night. It's also a time of new life and fresh starts renewal, rebirth, and awakening and fertility. I'm sure you can feel that just in the air, in the energy, around you as you look outside your window this time of year. Or hopefully we're getting outside a little bit more too. I know here in Pennsylvania in March, we're having massive swings in terms of temperatures and weather and all of that. We've had from seventy- some degree days down to like in the twenties and thirties, warm sunshine and snow. It's been wild, but that's kind of how March is here. Anyway, this is a time of possibility and hope and this we feel this creative potential for new ideas. We're turning towards possibility and growth and joy, and we're starting to bask in those warmer days that we've been missing so much all of winter. And because this is a time of fresh starts and new beginnings and birth, this is a great time for intention setting and daydreaming and thinking about what you really want this season or even the rest of the year to really look like for you. As the earth is coming alive around us, we feel that within us too. We begin to feel more alive and inspired and willing to try things out and experiment. There's this childlike spirit to spring. This is the time of our maiden energy in our menstrual cycle. So this is the time to be curious and experiment and try out new things and see what works and take some risks and see what doesn't work and try again. I really feel like there are these two phases to spring. There's early spring here, right around the equinox in March and early April. And then as we move forward into April, we start to feel this new energy, this late spring energy into May all the way till we hit summer, at the summer solstice. And in the beginning it's, it's more like slow. It's kind of like a start stop energy that I think we've been feeling a little bit probably since Imbolc in early February. It's, it's like steady growth. It's quiet growth. Some of it's still beneath the surface. You have to really stop to notice it, to really see it. I used to think that come spring here at the Equinox, it was time for me to really jump straight into action, plant those seeds, plant my dreams, set my intentions, and really go full speed ahead on making them happen. But as I've been tuning more and more into the subtleties of the season, I'm really noticing these two phases of spring that it really starts quieter, slower, steadier, that the growth happens almost at a rate where it's unseen if we aren't really paying consistent attention to it. That there's this start stop energy at this time of year that I've mentioned in that episode I recorded about late Winter Energy where we have this kind of emergence and retreat, and we're stretching ourselves past our comfort zone a little bit, and then pausing and taking a rest. There's this balance point that I feel like we're still at around the spring equinox, of course, and that it's not necessarily a time to rush forward, to speed full force into action and growth and towards whatever goals or intentions we're setting, because from the outside, if we look at how a flower blooms, for example, it may seem like it just all of a sudden bursts into bloom one day. That there's this instant burst of energy, and yeah, there is to some degree, but if we take the time to notice day to day how that flower has been emerging from the soil up through the top soil and sprouting out of the earth, and then growing taller and taller and sprouting leaves here and there, and then over time you start to see a bud forming, and then that bud slowly loosens a little bit more day by day until it's ready to burst into bloom. We see that. That blooming doesn't happen instantaneously. It really happens slowly over time. And this early spring time energy, I think really shows us that. And we can look at how nature is moving and growing and reflect back to ourselves, how we are mirroring that within ourselves, or maybe even how we can just give ourselves a little bit more patience and support and trust that we are growing in our own timing. So if we want to work with this early spring energy, I think it's first important to really. Let ourselves emerge from winter to acknowledge what we've been through over the past three months to integrate what we've learned and figure out what wisdom we want to carry forward. I think it's a great time also to do some releasing of what you no longer want to carry into this new astrological year, into this new seasonal cycle so that you can make space for new life to emerge from a much more aligned and honest place. We're also beginning to move between two very different energies between winter and spring. We're moving from winter, which is a more introspective, reflective, inward and slow time of year to spring, which has a different pace. It's faster. Our energy is beginning to be directed outward rather than inward. We're starting to have more action in our days, and this change can take time. So I feel personally that a big part of harnessing the energies of early spring here with the Equinox is about being present with what is true for us. And really being in tune with our bodies and what our bodies really need this time of year because it can vastly change from day to day, from week to week, even from moment to moment, what we're really needing. So I think having a few moments to really check in with ourselves throughout the day and ask ourselves what we're really needing and what we're really feeling inside with regards to what we're spending our time on and our energy on this time of year is really important so that we really tune in with our own personal cycle of growth and not just go ahead with what we think we should be doing. This time of year is not about pushing ourselves or rushing forward or being forceful. We aren't seeing that in the world around us, right? This is a steady, quiet, unfolding with the natural rhythm of life, where we're making the conditions with the light returning with warmer temperatures returning with wet soil from the rain- we're making those conditions right for growth. So I wonder how we can do that individually for our own dream seeds that we're planting? So again, following the lead of the season and really taking prompts from the planet. This is the budding time on the wheel of the year. It's not the blossoming and it isn't the blooming. The blossoming comes with Beltane in May, and the blooming comes with the summer solstice. So honoring that within yourself, if you're feeling the need to really push forward into growth. If you're feeling yourself rushing yourself or pushing yourself maybe just gently reminding yourself that it's all happening in its right timing, and maybe asking ourselves what support can I give myself right now or can I ask for, to really support the natural process of my growth and the intentions that I'm setting? In order to harness and really work with the energy of the spring Equinox, I love to incorporate different practices and rituals into my day or the days around the Equinox, whether it's just me doing the practices solo or with the whole family. We love celebrating the spring equinox together. It's such a fun time of year. This is when we do Ostara baskets with the girls. We decorate eggs. We might have an egg hunt. We love going on a nature walk and looking for signs of the season, and we have a couple other things planned that if we have the time and energy to do them this year, we'll do too. And I'll be sure to share about them over on Instagram if we do them. The thing I've learned with celebrating the Wheel of the Year sabbats with young children is to create a flexible plan or list of ideas of things that we would want to do as a family and just see where the energy takes us that day, because trying to stick to a very specific plan usually doesn't really work too well for us. And the having the flexibility of: "these are the things that we can do and this would be really fun." And then noticing what do we have the energy and the focus and just the desire to really do today. Having that mentality and perspective has really helped us to embrace these different celebrations and not get frustrated when we don't get to do exactly what I planned. So anyway. Here are some rituals and practices that you might want to incorporate, or might inspire you in your own ideas, to honor the spring Equinox: one is catching the sunrise or the sunset on a day like the Equinox, where we are really honoring. The light and the equality between the day and the night and that beautiful harmony and balance. It's a wonderful time to greet the sun at dawn and say goodnight to it at the sunset. This is also a great time for cleansing and releasing and making space. So this is a perfect time for doing some spring cleaning, whether that's inside your home or outside your home. Also, with our bodies, maybe making a sugar or salt scrub or taking a salt bath. These are great things to do. And then intentionally as you are taking the bath or scrubbing your body. Focus on what you are releasing and, and say like, I am releasing this now. I no longer wish to carry this with me through the next season, and just being intentional about it. Another great thing to do is opening up your windows and letting the spring air come in and freshen up your space. One of the things we are hoping to do if they come in the mail in time, in terms of our yard cleanup is put out some little doors on the trees for the gnomes and the fairies. We have started doing little fairy gardens with the girls and it's been so fun to begin to just create little like villages for the fairies. And since we've been really into this early childhood education homeschooling program called Wondergarten. That's all based with gnomes and fairies. We've been really, really obsessed with stories and songs about gnomes and fairies. So I purchased these little gnome and fairy doors and windows and things on Etsy, and I cannot wait to put them in our yard. And I feel like that's Spring equinox is a perfect time to really change up our yard with the seasons and really bring those things out into our yard, the decorations that we bring in from the winter time. Another thing we can do is have a spring watch, like take a nature walk, maybe do a seasonal scavenger hunt if you have kids, looking for different signs that spring is here or spring is coming. I also love taking a little bit of time, just a couple minutes each day, to walk around my yard and look at the plants. Look at how different the flowers are from one day to the next, how the buds are changing on the trees, and just basking in that in awe and admiration and just joy. I have been in my yard just cheering on the snow drops and the crocuses and the daffodils and the buds on our willow tree. It has been so fun to just find these seemingly mundane moments that can actually bring so much beauty and joy into our lives if we slow down enough to notice 'them. Another thing we can do is decorate eggs, like I mentioned, have Ostara basket. Another practice I am planning on starting this. Equinox is a daily gratitude practice. I used to keep a gratitude journal, but honestly I never really got into a solid habit with it, and it's been years since I've done it. So what I'd like to do right now is really bring it into the first few moments of my day. I don't even think I'm gonna have a journal for it. I think what I want to do is have just this practice with myself, just saying what I'm grateful for, right when I wake up in the morning, I'm talking, open my eyes, sit up, put my feet on the floor, really feel my feet on the floor, and feel myself come into my body, take a few deep breaths, look out my window and greet the new day. And just say a few things that I'm grateful for and really let them land. So I really feel the gratitude of them. It'll take a minute or two, and I think it will drastically change how I start my day right now. So maybe starting some sort of gratitude practice or gratitude journal might feel really good for you right now too. Next is creating beauty. Maybe you do this by bringing spring indoors with a daffodil and tulip bouquet. Maybe you create a nature mandala with some flowers and sticks and stones and pebbles and leaves, and create this beautiful work of art either in your home, on your altar or outside in your yard as an offering to this new season. Maybe you have another way that creativity is being sparked within you, and you bring that into a practice to honor the Equinox. And finally a planting ritual. It's a great time of year to be planting seeds or bulbs, and when we do so at the Equinox, we can plant our intentions with it. So this year what we're doing is we're gonna prepare the soil in a spot in our yard, and we're gonna plant wildflower seeds. But before we just toss 'em in the ground, we're going to sing songs as we're preparing the soil and whisper our intentions for the coming year into the seeds before we plant them in the ground. And then we're gonna water them and tend to them just as we will be watering and tending to the intentions that we are planting along with the seeds. And then we'll get to watch 'em grow. And finally, I have a few soul inquiry or journaling questions to offer you to think about this Equinox. For example, one is: where do I feel balanced in my life and where am I craving more harmony? Two is what wisdom am I bringing forth from the darkness of winter, and what am I leaving behind? Three is what brings me joy? And how can I invite more of it into my daily life? Or said another way, how can I nurture my inner child this season? Four is what is awakening within me? What is ready to come into the light and be born? Five is what seeds am I planting this new season? And six, what does "growth" mean to me in this moment? What does "growth" look like for me in this moment? So if you'd like, you could take those and journal on them all together, or one by one. You can use them to inspire you for your own practices and rituals around the Equinox. Whatever feels best for you. Or you can just sit with them right now and see what bubbles up within you. I hope you have a beautiful and magical spring equinox this week. I am wishing you so much joy and creativity and hope and love, and I will talk with you next time. Thank you so much for joining me for this episode of The Wild Return Podcast. If today's message spoke to you, be sure to subscribe. Leave a review and share this episode with someone you know who might want to tune into. Come find me over on Instagram at Sarah shot and check the show notes for ways we might work together. I'm sending you so much love. I'll see you next time.