“Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems.”
—Rainer Maria Rilke
Oh, the surprises of spring! Each year, I sit in wait for the snow to melt, the earth to soften and the tenacious green sprouts to push their slender stalks upward toward the sun. New life from what was once dead. Renewal and rejuvenation abounds.
The traditions and rituals of this time of year all reflect the themes of renewal, rebirth and rejuvenation. Color returns to the world after brief, monochrome days and long, lingering nights. Daylight is once again restored, warming the earth and encouraging sleeping creatures to rise.
Many years ago, I thought that the first day of spring was March 17. Consequently, I believed the color of spring was Kelly green, mostly due to my familial observance of this day.
Dressed in our Irish hand-knit sweaters and green clothes, we celebrated spring with a parade and a feast of corned beef. However, I associate green not with being Irish, but with seasonal change to spring, since the wee gardens that steadfastly appeared along the city streets of Boston sported the same color. Back then, everyone I knew had Irish ancestry. I was told, “Ah, sure spring is here! We’re wearin’ the green!” Little did I know at the time, that not all cultures celebrate spring with St. Patrick’s Day green.
For northern cultures around the world, this is a time of rebirth, renewal and rejuvenation. From the streets of India to the Alpine villages of Switzerland, spring is joyously celebrated. In addition, ancient sites are places of festive celebration and awestruck wonder as the Solstice Sun brings light to dark passages or rises behind huge standing stones. Saying farewell to frigid, lifeless days of winter and warmly greeting the newly born flowers of spring is a tradition fondly kept by many.
Rebirth is also a very common theme for the Abrahamic traditions. For Jews, the days of Passover are a reminder of their rebirth from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. Christians celebrate Lent and Holy Week, which begin with days of fasting and abstinence and joyfully conclude with Easter. Later in May, Muslims will observe Ramadan, which is also an observance of fasting and renewal.
Fasting, as a ritual, is common in many cultures at this time of year. For me, it is a reminder of the “labor” of rebirth. When we fast, we are like sprouts pushing up from hard shells. Having laid within the dark, cold earth, something stirs the plant to push to the light. Fasting helps us to purge the waste and toxins from our bodies, minds and spirits in order to emerge into the joyous light of rebirth, renewal and rejuvenation.
Rejuvenation, for me, begins in the weeks before spring comes with the annual seed catalogs. I learned long ago that most items found gloriously growing in pictures within the catalogs will not grow in our temperamental New England climate. However, dreaming of the pink, yellow and lavender blossoms that do miraculously appear each spring always makes me feel rejuvenated.
Nevertheless, it is gardening that truly rejuvenates. Gardening is a contemplative practice. Like meditation, gardening empties the mind, allowing the gardener to open to the beauty of nature, to the whispers of Spirit, and to the lessons that lie buried just beneath the surface of consciousness, much like the seeds and bulbs that are buried in the dirt.
Gardening, for me, is akin to midwifery. As I gently remove winter’s waste from around the plants in my garden, I feel as if I am helping the tender, green shoots to birth into the warmth of the sun.
No matter how you celebrate the coming of spring, may your days be filled with warmth, may your nights be starlit, and may this season of rebirth, renewal and rejuvenation bring you hope, peace and love.
Rev. Linda M. Rhinehart Neas holds a Master’s in Education from UMass. Amherst and graduated of the New Seminary in New York City as an ordained interfaith minister. She holds membership in A World Association of Interfaith Ministers, Interfaith Ministers of New England, and the Interfaith Council of Franklin County. Rev. Neas can be reached at revlindaneas2013@gmail.com and www.facebook.com/revlindaneas/