SPRING EQUINOX

March 20 , 2011

March 20 celebrates the next six-week cycle of energy – the second half of the Wood element. Wood is expressed through the archetype of the Warrior. Passionate, focused, and full of intense drive, the Warrior is ready to leap into action and take your life to the next level. Before you release the catapult however, there are a few areas to observe and adjust.

You may recall that the first six weeks of Spring – February 5th through March 20 – had a yin/yang pressure that came from the final six months of the Feminine (September 20 through March 20) and the first six weeks of the masculine Warrior energy. The tendency of the Spring energy is to leap into action; the tendency of the Feminine is to hold back and examine basic structures and inner harmony before taking action. So from February 5th through March 20th you may have been feeling slightly schizophrenic as your inner and outer urges pulled against each other. This ability to build up pressure and use it to make adjustments is a critical skill to master if we are to become proficient at manifesting our dreams.

Let’s talk about pressure first. When we build up pressure in our lives – whether through over-commitment, fear of delivering what we promised, or relationship issues – we tend to move into our unconscious patterns. These patterns reveal where we might unconsciously go out of integrity.

To understand more about identifying unconscious patterns, we start with structure. A day is a structure. How we plan our day, and the time given to each different commitment determines the amount of pressure put into our structure. (A week, a month, a year – all are structures. A business meeting is a structure. A vacation is a structure. A structure is a specific amount of time that has a specific outcome attached to it). Obviously, the more we stuff into our structure, the more pressure we will feel. Pressure is good – without it, we would get nothing done. It’s why when we have a day open up with nothing to do, often instead of tackling those chores on our to-do list, we find ourselves unable to DO anything at all. That is because our creative energy needs structure in order to move forward. Think of the difference between a lake and a river. Our creative energy is like a lake – placid, deep, still and very much alive under the surface. Generally though, a lake does not have much power of movement. To get water to move, it must be in some kind of a channel. Hence we build structures (dams, levies, etc) to generate action.

So you can see the need for pressure. It helps us get momentum and move forward through our daily activities. But what happens when we have too much pressure for our structure? That brings us to the second half of Spring energy.

In the fall (August 5 – November 5) we begin the process of releasing. Much like leaves falling from the trees, we let go of anything that is not vital to our survival over the Winter months. As we let go, the forms of our structures are revealed. Think of the shapes of trees and plants that stand out against the white snow. Winter is for examining our structures. What needs pruning? Are there broken or cracked branches that could become dangerous when weight is added? Do we have areas that have been hollowed out by time and nature? Can our structure take the weight of success when Spring arrives? If we have not spent the necessary time examining this inner strength, when we leap into action we may find ourselves flat on our back during our most productive time, because the structure of our life simply could not support our success.

How do we find the weaknesses in our structures? You look for the places that you go out of integrity. The dictionary defines integrity thus:

1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.
2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished: to preserve the integrity of the empire.
3. a sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition: the integrity of a ship's hull.

The most common place we go out of integrity is our word. Usually, we break our word to ourselves first when we feel under pressure. “What can I throw overboard to free up more time?” we ask, and generally what we jettison is leisure time, personal development time, or spiritual practice time. While this may seem like a small matter in the moment, it seriously undermines our ability to believe in ourselves, and to trust that when the going gets tough, we will be able to meet the challenges.

In addition, we may begin to manipulate our word – telling little white lies to get out of a commitment, or to explain our lateness when we have trouble being on time. These little white lies erode the structure of trust within our relationships, and you can be sure that sometime this summer, when the fruit is heavy on the bough, that erosion will appear at the worst possible moment.

Integrity is the code of honor that you create for yourself. Any time you weaken that code, your structure suffers. As we move through this period of re-creating our world, our work and our value, it is critical that we know exactly what our code of honor is, and that we stay committed to keeping our word.

If you have been feeling frustrated or a bit jagged around the edges lately, chances are you are testing your structures. Observe your behavior and watch where you might be out of integrity. Then begin to repair that part of your structure immediately. It not only gives your Warrior energy a mission (and one it is happy to accomplish), it takes the leaping forward energy of Spring and uses it to create a stronger foundation upon which to support your abundance. As your foundation is strengthened, the natural movement of Spring energy to growth will attract new resources and opportunities. The more integrity in your structure, the healthier the growth, and the longer you can bear the fruit of abundance!

In particular, keep your word to yourself. Your physical body must be strong to support such abundance, so keep your commitments to your body. Make time for your spiritual practice. Make time for pleasure and fun. Make time for physical excursions, be it dancing, exercise or making love. Know that when you put yourself and your personal harmony as a priority, life will respond with as much abundance as you can carry.

May 5 we begin our journey into Summer, the season of fruition. Until then, I wish you success in all your endeavors.

Blessings!!

Cat

Structural Integrity begins with our Word, and is manifested throughout our world. Spinal issues may be an indication of unconscious integrity loss.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As the snows of Winter melt, the action of Water moves us towards our dreams.