🌿Spring Equinox 2025🌷:
Embracing Renewal, Authenticity, and Blooming Again
As a “Spring Baby" (#teamtaurus ♉️), I’m almost always excited to welcome Spring! Living in the greater Chicagoland area, I often have to temper my expectations—if not my enthusiasm—for what one might hope to experience as “Spring. weather"… ☃️🌦️🌤️….
Weather: On some BS
Date: March 20, 2025
Location: Backyard
Time: 9:09 am
Weather: On less …mess
Date: March 20, 2025
Location: Same Backyard
Time: 1:45 pm
Nevertheless, I’ve learned and continue to embrace the Spring Equinox as more than just a seasonal shift. With each passing year, I gratefully accept the Vernal Equinox’s invitation to harmoniously renew, realign, and reclaim our lives and humanity.
As we engage the Spring Equinox of 2025, especially during these uncertain times, it's essential to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what truly nourishes our souls. For Black women and women of color, attuning to nature’s rhythms can provide powerful healing and grounding. If thoughtfully considered and honored, this time of year can serve as a revolutionary reminder that renewal is our birthright—even when the world tries to tether us in scarcity, fear, or burnout.
Renewal: Nature’s New Year
While many celebrate January as the start of a new year, nature indicates that the spring solstice is a true fresh beginning. It symbolizes a natural restart, mirroring our journeys toward personal renewal. For centuries, Black, Indigenous, and communities of color have used seasonal shifts to reconnect with collective resilience. Historically, our ancestors instinctively embraced this season for planting seeds—both literally and metaphorically—that honor growth and transformation.
In my youth, I failed to recognize the importance of power in maintaining the seemingly simple tradition of “Spring Cleaning." What I once viewed as my mother’s attempt to interrupt my spring break and unrestrained cartoon watching was actually a deeply spiritual practice that provided our family with a much-needed reset for our home, energy, and well-being.
Our home often felt fresh, aligned, and harmonious after spring cleaning in a way that didn’t happen, even when we cleaned for the New Year. Just like then, there is a grace for change and growth in spring that I often struggle to find during the short, dark days of January.
Starting Again Amid Uncertainty
As much as I love spring, I must acknowledge the personal, professional, cultural, and political apprehensions I feel as we enter spring 2025. Starting anew feels a bit more daunting this year than in previous years. However, being true to oneself during uncertain times means allowing yourself to recognize where you are right now—even when it feels impossible. Now, more than ever, it may be beneficial to intentionally remember the cyclical nature of seasons and the elusive quality of certainty itself.
Why the Equinox Matters for Us
Renewal isn’t just a personal act—it’s political. The Spring Equinox reflects our ability to rise, even when systems try to bury us. Much of our value on this continent is confined to our productivity and utility in exploitative systems, industries, and entities. Rest and renewal are often viewed as rewards rather than essential birthrights. While I truly appreciate the tradition of Spring Cleaning, I might have valued it more if it had been properly paired with the rest necessary for genuine renewal. Intentionally inquiring about, engaging with, and respecting the needs of our deepest humanity can transform how we relate to ourselves, others, and the world around us.
For Us, By Us: Practical Considerations For Engaging the Spring Equinox
Renewal isn’t about “fixing” yourself. It’s about:
- Rejecting grind culture’s demand for constant productivity.
- Honoring rest as a radical act of self-preservation.
- Trusting your inherent rhythm—even when it doesn’t match the world’s tempo.
A Thought to Reflect On 💭
How can embracing your current emotional, physical, material, and relational states foster deeper self-awareness and compassion?
Honoring Life’s Seasons 🌱
Just as nature has its seasons, our lives do too. Honoring them involves recognizing the right times to rest, plant, nurture, or harvest. Black and Indigenous cultures frequently utilize rituals and ceremonies to signify these transitions, crafting intentional spaces for reflection, healing, and renewal.
Try this Practical Ritual 📿
- Set up an altar space with symbolic items such as candles, crystals, and ancestral photographs.
- Write in your journal about what you're letting go of from the past season and the intentions you're setting for the future.
- Burn incense or herbs like sage, lavender, or sweetgrass to cleanse and purify your space.
Blooming Authentically 🌸: Practical Steps
Blooming authentically isn't about perfection—it's about growth, healing, and becoming deeply attuned to your own rhythms and needs. Practical blooming might look like:
- Mental: Scheduling daily dedicated "mindfulness moments."
- Physical: Embracing gentle, restorative movements like yoga or mindful walks.
- Spiritual: Setting aside regular time for meditation, prayer, or connecting with ancestors.
- Relational: Prioritizing meaningful relationships and open conversations.
- Communal: Participating in community gardens, volunteering, or joining communal healing circles.
Cultivating Rituals to Honor Your Well-being
Creating rituals helps ground us in a tangible practice of self-care and intentionality. Consider these rituals:
- 🌅 Morning Ritual: A short meditation followed by affirmations or gratitude journaling.
- 🌄 Evening Ritual: Reflecting on the day’s blessings and lighting candles that symbolize hope and renewal.
Relevant Resources
- 📖 Book Recommendation: Rest Is Resistance by Tricia Hersey (explores rest as liberation for Black women).
- 📲 Meditation Apps: Liberate (focused on BIPOC communities) or Shine (emphasizing emotional self-care).
Embrace Your Spring Equinox 2025
This Spring Equinox, take intentional steps toward authentic renewal, aligning deeply with nature’s wisdom. Trust that even amidst uncertainty, you can—and will—bloom beautifully again.
