Blossoming into Spring.

via Riazzolio

I love Spring. A season of renewal where the things that were dormant over the long winter months come back to life.

There is no denying that Spring (like Autumn) is a season of transition. It's that time of year where we are in an "in between" time between Winter and Summer. Where Winter's cool presence can still be felt and a subtle sensation of new life stirs from its dormant sleep.

At any moment and on any day, Winter could rush back in with cool air and grey skies - like today, with the grey skies and rain. And yet the next day (or even the next moment like down here in Santa Barbara, CA), a sensation of Spring will burst forth as the sun shines and our Winter layers start to peel off. 

Life often mirrors this in-between time. 

As we reflect on the changing cycles of nature outside of us, so too do we reflect on the changes within. As without, so within. Change is an inherent part of life and we are often in the midst of it, where one foot is in what was and the other is in what is yet to come. 

However, for years, I found this to be quite the riddle: If change is an inherent characteristic of nature then why, oh WHY?, are we humans so resistant to change?

The only thing we know for certain is that things will change. Even in this very instant, within the microcosm of your body, cells are dying and new cells are being created. Amongst the change, there is a very steady, constant rhythm.

This pulsation, this Spanda, is a defining characteristic of life . . . the beat of your heart, the cycle of your breath.

And this pulsation is what we know to be true, what we know to be real. It is constant and yet changing in each moment.

How then do we dance between the seasons' transition from one to other? We adapt, we adjust. 

On an emotional level, change can often be more abstract. If it is an inner change or one of quiet inner growth, it may not always reflected in our outer world. The forces within us are propelling us to new understandings and perspectives, but maybe we haven't fully moved beyond our old paradigms. 

When we find ourselves in the midst of change and transition, it is important to flow with it, accept the different fluctuations and moods that the shifting currents illuminate. If we are able to flow with life as it moves and transforms, we can remember that the real growth happens within these changes. 

And just as Spring will always become Summer, so too will life take us to where we need to be.