Almost spring...

Today I was greeted by a single sunny yellow crocus popping its head up from a backdrop of green and brown... and I saw more green shoots of crocus, daffodil, iris, and tulip sticking their heads up above the soft wet dirt in my garden, plus the swelling buds of the almond, plum and lilac, so I say welcome to the warming, lengthening days and the promise of spring to come. Almost always in February there is a tease of springtime, with more winter to come, and I suspect that today was just such a day as there is snow predicted for tomorrow night.

I am not much of a winter person, I do not much like the cold, wet winter time, nor the ice and snow, except for perhaps the first few hours after a fresh snowfall where the world is pristine and glitters with the glisten of sunlight refracting from the white blanket that covers everything, hiding the mud and making the world new, fresh and clean again.

But, this morning there was blue sky and sunshine for the first morning in it seems like an eternity, though actually only maybe three weeks or a month of heavy skys dropping copious amounts of moisture to replenish the soil and refill the reservours after what people are calling a long drought. (Actually it rains here EVERY winter). Funny how people (admittedly myself included from time to time) take some wierd pleasure in complaining about the heat, the rain, the cold, the sun, global warming, whatever seems to be happening at the time with the weather, but I digress.

I was determined that I would take advantage of the sun and spend some time outdoors in my garden (still VERY soggy) to see what was growing... and decided it was time to harvest the remaining beets and carrots from last years' garden. There is still brocoli growing, and some of the lettuce from last year is struggling, but the snow peas, garlics and the potatoes I did not find when I dug that bed are all showing signs of life. So welcome to spring!!!

There is an ancient Celtic tradition from the lands of the moors and heather, in the time midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, usually February first, a celebration called Imbolic (meaning "in the belly") occurs which calls to mind the stirrings of the embryo in the womb. For people who's world was lit and warmed only by fire for heat, the cold and ice of the winter season literally holds them in its grip which is only relaxed by the coming of spring and for them meaning a return to life. During winter there were pressing questions of survival; will there be enough food for both the humans and their animals that they depended upon for sustenance? Will illness decimate the tribe, especially in the case of the young, the old and the nursing mothers? A burning questiion was what will become of the animals whose lives are so crucial to our own, the cows and the ewes since their milk is needed for food, cheese and curds which might mean the difference between life and death. This time of imbolic is the time of the birthing of the lambs and calves and their mother's milk would be flowing, so it was a time of celebration, because milk was a sacred food to them due to its purity, nourishment and curative powers.

Which brings to mind the time of birthing for all animal species, and the sacredness of the maturnal nurturing that they provide for their young. The young imprint upon their mother at the time of birth (or hatching) and this provides them with the model of how they are to be as they grow to maturity.

For us as humans, the mother is meant to be there to look after the child and its needs, and the father is meant to be there to see that both the mother and the child's needs are met, because when the mother's needs are met then she can give the child the mothering love and energy it needs to grow into a happy and healthy adult. Unfortunately, we have allowed ourselves to become distracted by the problems we have created on this earth. Many times the father must abandon the family to go to fight some far distant war, and the mother who is meant to be there to look after the child must go to a job and leave her child to be raised and trained by some stranger. If we ever want to experience peace in our human family, we will have to find a way for parents to have the time and freedom to bring up their children in a way that will make them feel safe, secure and loved upon this earth, and able to appreciate what it provides to us.

This day had a limited time in the sun, as the clouds and cold settled back in early in the afternoon, but it was a welcome sign of more to come. Next sunny day, I will have to get busy and prune my roses before they get too far ahead of me, but that will have to wait until the sky and earth dry out a bit...

Till next time,

Merlyn