Preparing for the New Year - Living In Alignment with the Seasons: spring

Overview

As we continue to inch our way closer to the astrological new year/spring equinox, we may begin feeling the pull to prepare for what’s to come. Spring is the beginning of the energetic year and kick starts our astrological cycle with fiery aries! But before we get there, we must navigate the depths of Pisces season and tie up any loose ends from our season of rest and reflection. 

Living in alignment with the sacred, natural rhythm of the earth means allowing for ourselves to be flexible, fluid, and in tune with our bodies needs. Many times we respond to the stimuli around us on a physiological level before it manifests itself on a physical level meaning our bodies often sound the alarm for impending DISease before we notice it. Spring and summer are seasons that call us into action and rebirth which can feel invigorating after the cold, reflective months. Yet, maintaining our energy means filling our cup and tending to our garden to til our soil for the upcoming growth and harvest.

The Preparation

Similar to the rituals and practices that people implement before the calendar new year, many of these rituals and practices are the same things we can return to for the astrological year. Let’s dig into a few of my recommended practices below:

Spring cleaning - spring cleaning is a common idea that many people practice which can include cleaning things like the home or clearing out one’s closet. Other spring cleaning activities to consider:

• Clean up your social media: unfollow, delete, block, or limit access to pages that are no longer aligned with you

• Clean your car: a good car detail or just a basic wash is a great way to clear your slate of any negative energy from the year or that you encounter out in the world/on the road

• Clean up your phone: delete old photos/screenshots, delete old messages (you don’t need to keep every message EVER, let it go LOV), remove unwanted or unused contacts

• Clean up your email: delete old messages, unsubscribe from mailing lists that you no longer engage with, flag important messages, set up filtering by subject or sender to keep track of important contacts

Create A Ritual

Cook a nourishing meal - in many cultures the new year is celebrated with specialty foods that represent various themes or manifestations for the year. Consider consuming food that are in season and abundant during spring including berries, yam, eggs, asparagus, dandelion root, honey, lamb, etc.

Give an offering - there are many entities that are associated with the spring season that we can honor during the spring season including various Goddess such as Oshun, the earth in general, or changemakers such as Jesus and others. The Spring equinox is a great time to leave offerings to connect with the entities that resonate with us the most. Offerings can include things like food, flowers, textiles, etc. 

The most important part of the spring equinox is the rebirth that we each experience as Aries season begins and ignites our inner fire/self into action and change. As we each experience our personal season of rebirth, it’s important to keep in mind what exactly we want to give “birth” to. Some ways to connect with our vision for the astrological year are:

• Meditation

• Journaling

• Creating a vision board

• Spending time in nature, specifically in areas that experience new bloom like a garden, forest, or near fresh water

• Doing a social media detox (I recommend aiming for 7 days)

• Doing a health detox/cleanse - I recommend doing a full fast 1 week prior (no food or water for 12-24 hrs) and a fruit only fast 1 week after the equinox to balance your blood sugar, gut health, and reset your internal workings

Takeaways

This is not an exhaustive list of ideas by any means, but rather a jumping off point to get your wheels turning on how you can create your own ritual or approach to the spring season. Remember, the most important part of any ritual is your intention and practice. There is no such thing as perfection so lean into what feels good to you and listen to your body.

Happy New Year!