Spring Equinox, Full Moon in Libra, 20th March, 2008

Happy full moon equinox – I am so absolutely grateful for spring, although it has been a very intense but super thought-provoking winter. Thanks again to all of you for your continued love, support and fantastic feedback!

Calling the circle
As we contemplate equinox, we summon the spirits of the East, spirits of Springtime, the dawn with all of its promise of new beginnings, new starts. Spirits of balance that we celebrate tonight. Element of air, the power of life, springing forth. We call the spirits of the East and ask them to join our circle.

We call now to the spirits of the South, spirits of strength, power, warmth, clarity, motivation, energy, movement. Element of fire, bright fires lit at midday. The power of light, illuminating us. The fire that is our passion, burning deeply within is always. We call the spirits of the South and ask them to join our circle.

And we call to the Spirits of the West. Spirits of our deepest feelings, our strongest emotions, our truest love. A sunset over a calm ocean, a still lake reflecting back the sky, the still waters that run deep, deep within. Element of water, emanating the power of love. We call to the spirits of the West and ask them to join our circle.

Now we call the spirits of the North. Spirits of midnight, dark moonless skies in winter, places where truths are told. Element of earth, grounding us. Power of law, karma, ancestral wisdom, we call to the spirits of the North and we ask them to join our circle.

And we call to those spirits above us, the moon in her many faces, angels, stars, heavens, light beings everywhere, those souls not yet incarnate. Children of our children. We call the spirits above and ask them to join us.

And we call to the spirits below us, to the earth that grounds us and keeps us steady, the green kingdom with its deep roots and to the lava beneath the crust that impassions us. We call the spirits below and ask them to join us.

Finally, we call to the spirits of the center, where all the directions meet and merge and where they meet and merge in each one of us. The central flame. The sacred spirit. This circle is closed, a safe and sacred circle where everyone is welcome and free to express themselves.

Equinox thoughts/Talking stick
We have found this man who is helping us get our garden in order, which is no small feat. It really was kind of wild and overgrown when we moved in, which was great in its own way, but not very practical. We looked around for gardeners and kept coming across garden designer types, which wasn’t what we wanted. Finally, through a friend, we found this man and he is perfect for us. He does a bit at a time and we are all sort of figuring it out together. At any rate, this week I had to go out and figure out where I was going to plant my vegetables, my herbs and start thinking about what kind of plants I want to surround my meditation garden. He is really knowledgeable about planting and it has been fascinating to learn about it. I’ve decided to grow all the main vegetables we eat, which is just a thrilling concept, but our gardener keeps reminding me not to be too ambitious, to really focus on what I want to grow and don’t plant so much that I can’t take care of them all. He was also showing me the soil, explaining what it should look like when it is time to plant vs. now, as it is still a bit too early and the ground still a bit too cold.

I was so struck by the similarities to my life right now – the need to focus on just those seeds that I really want to nurture vs. planting too much and not being able to sustain the growth. At the new moon I said that I wanted to spend the first part of this month just listening and at first I thought that maybe I hadn’t done that very well since I have felt so active over this period, but in fact I have been listening – I’ve been listening to my intuition, letting it guide me toward the things that feel right and away from those things that just aren’t working.

At this equinox, and this full moon, I want to continue to listen but also think carefully about the seeds that I plant. And the ones that do get planted, I want to nurture, love and support with all my heart. I am feeling powerfully optimistic at the start of this spring!

Meditation
Imagine yourself lying on the ground beneath a beautiful but leafless old oak tree, in the middle of a field, under a starry, windless sky. The ground feels cold, but all around you are the beginnings of Spring, small plants forming a soft green carpet. As you breathe in and out feel that you are breathing in time with the stars, that you are a part of the setting that surrounds you. Then allow yourself to imagine that you are getting smaller – smaller and smaller until you are so small that you can stand up and walk into the tree that you were lying underneath. Walking into the tree, looking up, note the vast branch system, how tall and high it is, looking down, note the vast root system, reaching down into the earth farther than you can see. Then, notice that one of the roots is larger than the others, and resembles a spiral staircase. Imagine then stepping onto the 13th step, the step of transformation, then spiraling down and around and inward to the 12th step, then down and around to the 11th and the 10th, spiraling down and around and inward to the 9th, then the 8th, then around and inward to the 7th and the 6th step. Then, pausing on the sixth step, note that as you look up you can no longer see the top, and looking down, that you can no longer see the bottom. You are standing in the middle of the spiral, in a moment of infinite perfection. If there is anything that you are carrying that you don’t want to take with you on your journey, you can leave it on this step. Continuing then to the 5th step and the 4th, spiraling around to the 3rd and the 2nd and then finally the 1st step, then stepping into a clearing with four doorways, each pointing in one of the four directions. Imagine yourself walking down the pathway that heads east.

It is dawn, and the sun is just peeking over the horizon – coloring the sky pink and gold. The landscape is gentle and green with the beginnings of new plants; there are early flowers just beginning to poke up over the grass. The pathway that you are walking on is lined with violets, and you make your way along it as it snakes its way upward around a tall hill. You make your way toward the top, feeling the new life teeming all around you in the valley below. When you reach the top, you see that others have gathered already – friends, guides, ancestors, and you join them in the circle. Your wise woman arrives last, stepping into the centre.

All is quiet for a while, feeling the powerful silence build until it takes on almost a sound of its own. All the while, the sunlight is increasing, until the circle is completely illumined in a golden dawn’s light. Those in the circle are illuminated, each brightly reflecting love for you. They have come with a message for you, and in turn, each one speaks. When they finish, you are able to speak to them as well, ask questions, or just speak whatever truth is on your mind.

Then, your wise woman calls you into the center of the circle, where she has prepared the ground for seeds. She asks you to plant the seeds for those things that you would like to see growing in your life. Then each person in the circle plants seeds for you as well, which they will nurture and support on your behalf. You return to the circle and join hands with the others until the sun is high in the sky. You feel the hope of spring surrounding everyone and everything on the earth.

When you feel that your time in the circle is complete, your wise woman leads you out of the circle and to a beautiful stone table that has appeared, filled with all kinds of food and drink, and those in your circle join you at the table for a beautiful celebration. You can converse freely with them here.

When the meal is finished and it is time to go, you say your goodbyes to your guides, friends, ancestors. Finally, you say goodbye to your wise woman, and head away from the circle, back along the path lined with violets. The sun has fully risen now, and the path is more brightly lit than before. When you reach the doorway to the east, you step through back toward the staircase.

Stepping back up onto the first step, spiraling upward and outward to the second step and the third, and upward and outward to the fourth step and the fifth. Then spiraling around to the sixth step, and pausing now on the sixth step, retrieving anything that you left behind before, or just leaving it behind in that moment of infinite perfection. Climbing now to the seventh and upward to the eighth, upward and outward to the ninth, then the tenth, and around to the eleventh and the twelfth and then finally to the thirteenth step, the step of transformation, then back into to the tree. Stepping out of the tree, you find your place beneath it, again enjoying the sweet night air. Then feeling your consciousness return to the space you are in, and, when ready opening your eyes.

Prayers for our circle
I would like to send out a big prayer for Chad, who has a big and very important writing deadline on which will make him competitive for a fellowship next year. That you feel the energy of spring pushing and supporting you!


And to all of you, happy spring! Much love,

Tara