By Nikki Starcat Shields,
Spring in Maine is tricky. As early as mid-February, I start seeing mentions of spring in emails and articles, clearly from other geographical locations. “No,” is my immediate mental response. I know that even though the days are getting longer, actual spring-like, warm, blooming-things weather is still months away. Yes, months.
When thinking about spring, even in March, it feels like I’m pondering something that is promised, but not yet manifest. Part of me would rather cling to winter, my least favorite season, than get my hopes up too early. What can I say? I’m a warm weather person who is also in love with Maine, where I was born.
Early spring in Maine isn’t warm and friendly. To prepare for some of our past Spring Equinox gatherings, Quester has had to snowplow a path to the fire pit in our backyard. I remember one ritual years ago where all the kids wore snow pants and t-shirts, and dug benches into the 3-foot-deep snow to sit on. Other times it’s raining, with sloppy mud underfoot.
Yet there’s still that insistent call to optimism that comes with Spring Equinox. There are some amazingly perfect days. The sun is stronger. I can feel it on my skin. The songs the birds sing are different, now. The buds are beginning to show on the trees, and the sap is running. My best friend boils kettle after kettle, making her delicious maple syrup.
Spring is not my favorite season. It could be the allergies beginning to tickle my nose, or the ugliness of the landscape, filled with mud, half-melted snow, and dead leaves from last year. It might be that 50 degrees still feels cold to me, even though some people are already wearing shorts. Maybe it’s the inevitable April snowstorm, or the time change that messes with my routine.
And yet that irresistible spark of hope tugs at my heart. I’m drawn into the promise of spring, despite my resistance. The Earth is coming alive once again. The Goddess will bring back the flowers, starting with a single purple crocus in the yard. The snow will melt.
Spring will come eventually, whether it’s aligned with the astronomical date of arrival or not. I guess what this season is about for me, especially as it begins, is faith. When the weather turns cold or icy again, I take comfort in knowing that it won’t last. The wheel of the year will turn. If you’re sick of winter, hang in there. If you don’t like the weather, wait a day or so and it will change.
The transition to spring is much like life as a whole. Change is inevitable. It might not happen as quickly as we wish, or in exactly the way we’d hoped, but that longed-for change will come.
As we celebrate Spring Equinox, I’m amping up my powers of faith, and trusting that those blossoms and warm days are on the way.
Nikki Starcat Shields is an author, book midwife, and leader of transformational writing retreats. She's also a licensed Pagan priestess. Nikki teaches people to be Thriving Artists, writing their heartfelt books while also nurturing themselves and their creative lives. She lives in Hollis, Maine and adores reading, cats, and spending time by the ocean. She can be found at http://www.nikkistarcatshields.com