The spring within
There is a way for every woman to turn back the clock without turning to potions, treatments and knives.
It’s called spring.
And it returns as a gift to us each and every year.
Spring in the woman’s life cycle has the energy of the Maiden.
I remember in one of the Grace & Frankie Netflix episodes, where Grace (Jane Fonda) was sitting on the floor, deflated about some mobility challenges she was facing, and she turned to Frankie (Lily Tomlin) with tears in her eyes and said: “I still feel like a little girl inside”.
This little girl inside is the maiden energy and she is there for our taking.
The maiden in us and around us is all about potential, it’s the bursting through the seed, it’s the curiosity, it’s the enthusiasm, it’s the playfulness.
The maiden is inquisitive, her head is spinning at the magic of the world.
She is innocent and somewhat naive, but in a positive way, up for anything, ready to learn, fall over and get back up again.
She understands her beauty and allows herself to shine.
She has the energy to do everything, knowing how to juggle it all with grace.
To feel these vibes, all you need to do is take an early morning spring walk.
Everything is alive.
And the energy is rising.
The bees are buzzing around the new season’s pollen, nuzzling at the breast of the flowers.
Pert buds are slowly opening to show off delicate, soft and alluring colours.
Vegetable gardens display greens that shoot high, embodying the rising energy of the season of beginnings.
Baby ducklings are following their parents learning to graze.
Tiny birds are dancing around the butterflies and jumping from branch to branch.
Snakes awake from their hibernation and slumber and turn up on lawns, driveways and verandahs.
In spring we take off the layers of our wise winter crone and strip down to rebirth.
We slowly expose arms and legs to the sun, looking at our body once again after a long winter dressed in woolies; akin to the maiden noticing her womanly beauty for the first time.
I’ve exchanged my trackpants for flowing sleeveless dresses. I desire to move more, dance more, breathe more.
My paler skin not yet tanned by the sun reminds me of baby skin, although more marked and wrinkled.
And this, exactly here, in this observation, is where the gold lies.
We could turn to the ageing skin with bitterness or we can turn to it with curiosity.
Can we blend the maiden energy with the wisdom of years?
Can we merge the freshness with sageness?
Can we take what we’ve garnered in winter and use it as a base for our spring-board lift off?
My body might be changing on the outside, but the cycles still live within and around me.
She still lives within me.
In spring I’ve got five screens on my laptop open and I can cope.
In spring I’m juggling a few projects and I thrive.
In spring, I’m moving more and it’s ok.
In spring, I’m no longer winter-quiet and inwards focused, and that’s how it’s meant to be.
With love,
Sharon
Community Conversation Starter:
Each week in my post, I will offer a reflection/conversation starter that we can discuss in the comments. If you don’t feel like sharing your response here, I encourage you to at least consider the questions yourself, maybe write about it in your own journal.
Today’s conversation starter:
Can you see your maturing body through the eyes of your maiden?
Can you have a conversation with her?
It’s coming near the end of the season in the southern hemisphere, so before we cross over to summer, ask your inner maiden what she’d like to do this spring, what dreams she has, what plans are on the horizon. And breathe life into them now.
Slip into her shoes and fully embody her and notice the difference in your outer appearance….and let me know in comments.
PS: This can be done by any woman every spring, irrespective of age (even a maiden), if you’re feeling as if you’ve lost connection with the maiden within.
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