Mar. 20, 2025 - Vernal Equinox

Today is the start of a new Seasonal Node. Each of the four seasons can be broken down into six smaller segments, called "Seasonal Nodes" (or "Solar Terms"), which come with specific instructions about what to do (and what not to do) to stay healthy and happy and harmonized with the natural world.

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Today, the rest of the industrialized world peeks up from progress to acknowledge the start of spring. But you and I know better. Spring started a month ago. Today, we begin to experience its gifts.

One of the most important texts in Chinese Medicine, first written somewhere between 202 BCE and 220 CE, provides us with the following instructions for spring:

"Go to rest when it gets dark and rise when it gets light. Move through the courtyard with long strides. Dishevel the hair and relax the physical appearance, thereby causing the mind to orient itself on life."

The first instruction means to synchronize our rhythm with the rhythm of nature (symbolized by sleeping and waking with the sun). Everything starts with that alignment. Everything. This instruction is the same in every season.

Then, the very next instruction, given the most prominent position after synchronicity, is "Relax!"

Walk gently (outside) and let your hair, clothing, and body be loose. Why? Because Qi and blood have been cooped up all winter and they need to move, free from physical and mental tension.

But I see a more important message in these instructions. Laxity opens up space in our minds. Only then can we notice the process of rebirth and the gifts bestowed upon us in the spring. Then we can feel gratitude and contemplate our responsibility in the whole process.

Spring is the time to support new life, not by muscling nature (or ourselves, our children, or our community) into bloom, but by noticing its natural growth, staying close but out of its way, not hoarding shared resources, and not partaking of its gifts too soon or too much.

"Opposing this," the ancient text says "[...] causes cold in summer, and there is little to support growth."

Unsupported growth. We don't have to wonder what that would look like.