Spring is in the air in the Northern Hemisphere. The ground is thawing. Tiny green shoots are poking their heads through the moist earth in search of sun. Rivulets of due are trickling across the vibrant green of unfolding leaves. And the dawn of birdsong has returned.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the sun is setting earlier. The days are cooler. Tree sap is beginning to pull itself deeper into it’s roots. And the last hurrah of vibrant color is preparing to erupt in the branches of the trees, before the leaves flutter to the ground and settle into the earth’s quiet in-breath.
The equinox always brings to mind the death and rebirth of nature.
Have you ever noticed the way of perennial plants?
They each have their own pattern, their own rhythm, their own season. The equinox is their time of transition. During their dormancy, you may not even know they exist until they poke their pointed little noses above the ground through the layers of dirt and leaves in search of light. They don’t fight with the leaves. They don’t try to talk them out of their way. They don’t send someone ahead with rakes to smooth the path. They simply mind their own business and continue reaching for the light, until they break though the upper crust of the earth.
As the weather warms and the gentle rains nurture them, sparks of color appears. One by one, the petals unfold into glorious beauties of nature dancing in the breeze and wafting their fragrance without concern as to who takes notice of them. Some bloom in the early spring. Others pace themselves, bursting forth in mid-summer or presenting themselves as the last remnants of color in Autumn. When their season draws to a close, they shake their leaves loose and add to the mulch that covers their roots. The stem turns brown and its energy retreats into the warm core of its heart in sweet repose, while the chill of winter blankets the earth.
Like the perennials, we each have a unique Divine blueprint, each with our own distinctive color, often standing out amidst the colors of everyone else. Within our own personal seasons, we know when to sprout, when to spread our petals to send a sensuous fragrance into the air and when to retreat. We coded it all into our hearts eons ago. Some of these codes have laid dormant through a long winter of darkness. But the New Crystalline Light has warmed our hearts and melted the walls that have encased them. Alas, the codes are quickening, to expand our awareness and activate our newly awakened DNA.
Blossoms beyond anything we’ve ever seen before are stirring below the surface. The only fertilizer we’ll ever need is our Love and Passion for the bountiful beauty.
Our only job is to allow these new sprouts to poke their heads through the overlying debris. There is no need to fight the old. Quite frankly, it doesn’t know how to fight back. It can only respond to our machinations. If we keep our focus on the warm caress of the sun, our sprouts will slip right by the old debris because we’re much more powerful than we realize. And if not distracted by our artificial worries and fears, we will effortlessly rise to meet the sun, bursting forth with wide grins on our faces.
Sometimes, our gardens need an extra boost of color. That’s when we tuck in a few annuals, those seedlings that bloom in vibrant color all summer long until the first crystalline frost wilts their petals for the very last time. They are short-lived, but the spurts of joy and beauty they offer are greatly appreciated while their blooms dance in the summer breeze. We often have projects like this. Spurts of Joy fully spent in the moment, knowing they were never meant to be long-lasting.
Sometimes we plant a seed to flare for a few moments in the sun, just for the pure pleasure of it. Other times we plant for longevity….like the perennials that honor their seasons of growth and development.
It’s important to know the difference. When you plant for flare, enjoy it and then let it go, savoring it’s sweet memory without attachment. And when you plant for longevity, honor the dormant seasons with the love and appreciation that add to your expansion, knowing that everything recycles stronger and fuller each season with more vibrant blooms than ever.
So are you a blooming perennial or annual?
Why not be both!!!!
~Sharon Lyn Shepard~
http://www.sharonlynshepard.com
Loving Gratitude to our BeLoved Louise Klein for her stunning photo!!!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Etheric-Eye-Narrative-Nature-Photography/400092600064636













