Dear ones,
Today is the second new moon after winter solstice, marking the beginning of Chinese New Year, the first whispers of Spring, the Celtic festival of Imbolc (coming up in a few days), and the Jewish festival of Tu B'Shevat, the new year of the trees (in a couple weeks). This is a time for feeling the quickening of the womb of Earth, the sap running in the trees, the first buds and blossoms and buckeye leaves burgeoning, birdsong and bulbs blooming. Cherry-plum blossoms, magnolias, daffodils, currently showing.
We are entering the year of Yin Wood Snake. Themes are growth, transformation, resilience, intuition, wisdom, creativity, beauty, rebirth, renewal, flexibility, and being grounded in the face of big changes. The Yin aspect of this year contributes the quality of compassion, and calls on us to cultivate healing within, to rest and contemplate and go inward a bit (curl up like a snake) before outward action.
Before a snake sheds her skin, the old skin may feel too tight. Like a seed getting ready to burst out of it's shell to put down roots and sprout, the energy of this time can be one of frustration before shaking off the old, as well as vulnerability in welcoming in the new. Here is where trust and hope come into play. One of you shared with me recently how valuable it was for you to hear from a healer the wisdom that our bodies, like Earth's body, have an innate desire for harmony and balance and healing, and will always do everything possible to heal and realign. In these times of uncertainty and understandable fear, we can feel paralyzed and despondent. The Wood element reminds us of the unstoppable life force inherent in plants, the hopeful green growth of Spring, and the natural flow of movement and rest and rooting and blossoming that is within all of us.
The Wood element also relates to Vision. In times of stress, letting one's gaze relax and expand to a panoramic view can help us adapt and balance our stress response (you can practice this when doing vigorous exercise, too). Ultimately, perhaps this gives us more clarity of vision and thought, as well. As Rilke advised, sometimes we must live in the questions. I think right now many of us so desperately want an immediate answer, and so much is at stake, this can be very difficult to enact. And, we may need a moment for grief. A moment to regroup. And of course there are in fact many immediate actions to take for justice (also a Wood element theme), I hope. But maybe this Yin Wood Snake year is reminding us to stay grounded throughout, to keep tuning in to intuition and compassion and healing and breathing and rest, to understand that our movements may be more like water and bamboo and serpentine- all powerful forces that may move in a more subtle, adaptive way.
My blessing for you today is that you take a moment to feel your own unique and special soul offering. You don't need a name or category for it, but to just trust in that beautiful sacred connection you have with Life, and to know you are loved and cherished. And to know that all beings are singing this song of belonging with Life. May this be a healing for you, for all beings, and for our planet. May goodness be magnified and increase, and may there be peace, justice, and healing for all.
As always, I hope you'll let me know how I can best support you in your healing journey this season.
Love,
Shoshana