Bill's Lunatic Planting: Spring and Fall
By Bill Wolfe
So, this issue looks at spring and fall - this is taking a little getting used to remembering to consider both Northern and Southern Hemisphere factors. But it's also very beneficial I am discovering. By needing to consider what's happening on the other side, so to speak, I am also remembering that I need to do this on a personal level. In spring we think of new life and beginnings. But these things come from the end of old life and death. In fall, or autumn, it is a time to be thankful for our blessings as we gather them close to tide us through the winter. We become dormant and hunker down...and then as the year turns, spring comes and we awaken, become all twitchy, and spring forth.
Well, maybe it's not quite like that - I've been focusing a lot on this lately but I fear that I still haven't fully pieced it all together.
The bottom line is that life is a cycle not a straight line we walk. So often we procede through life from point to point as if it were indeed a road that lead only one way. But as a Pagan this isn't what I believe. I see connections and reflections in so many things that continually speak to me about how non-linear the human experience really is. And the magazine's focus upon not only the multiple paths of Paganism, but also the duality of seasonal festival, is really making this concept come alive for me.
So, for those dwelling in the north, spring is coming. February marks the start of the springtide festivals. This is a period of building energy as we uncoil from winter's rest and begin to feel the cabin fever raging out of control. Plants start to bud and sprout. Animals are bringing forth (or soon will be) their young. Magically and spiritually this is when we should be cleaning house and initiating major works. Those things that will take months to come to fruition are best served if they are begun now.
In the southern hemisphere, however, autumn is approaching. Nature has put forth her first harvests and this is the time to begin counting blessings. Start thinking about how lucky you really are and cherish your time. Projects begun earlier in the year are winding down now and it's not a good time to start new ones.
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