April is here, and it appeared that we were in full spring ahead here in Maine.

But that might be easy to forget with some new snow on the ground today –
only days after a fiery New Aries Moon a few days ago.

And yet, in the 45 years I’ve been on the Planet,
living in places like the Midwest and New England, I know the transition from
Winter to Spring doesn’t typically happen overnight.

Nor is it easy to welcome the less desirable, and dirtier weather of Spring.

Also, it’s common for people to forget that we’re not out of the woods,
and it can be hard on folks to not get bogged down or stuck in the mud.

Even if you don’t like Winter, or have had enough of a dying season that’s
fading into the backdrop, grieving feelings do naturally
rise to the surface – sometimes unexpectedly.

But like the classic Dead song, Box of Rain –
April has a cleansing effect on our souls,
and is a good time of year for purging, and purification.

They weren’t my preferred band to follow. But I respect how the politics
of their music delved into the ambiguity of life.

Let’s face facts . . . Like the seasons, life is transitory, and not
without its unexpected tragic moments.

In one breath, you have a healthy pet or a loved one who has been your rock.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, the lord of death takes them away.

The feelings that come up in those dark edges are not easy to sit with.

Do you remember the old saying about April showers bring May flowers?
This also true for us on the inside, energetically speaking.

We might as well say yes to Nature’s way of reflecting that back to us.
Of course resisting the weather only brings in more suffering.

Have you heard the peepers singing in the wetlands?
Frogs are good medicine for meditation at this time of year.

Our ancestors told stories about how Frog sang songs that called on the rains
to wash away the dirty energies that leave us feeling stagnant in life.

It is also a good time to be mindful of boundaries in relationship.

You can picture a frog to help you assert yourself,
and stand in your own personal authority,
or even just telling those ribbeting racing thoughts to stop!

April, movement into a New Aquarian age, and in walking
a spiritual path in life isn’t all about sunshine and rainbows.

We need to remember that dark skies, and thunderclouds roll in before
the colorful prisms of light that bring up the more sunny side up feelings.

And sometimes, it feels yucky to see the shadows that you forgot were there,
but are now springing to the surface of your consciousness.

It’s like when you feel lost and alone in the dark, and then you remember to
find a silver lining, and see brighter spirits as being on their way.

Till we tweet again peeps,

Ari