As North America and Europe and much of the world close the borders, schools, businesses, and send people to work from home, this week marked the first day of spring, the vernal equinox. The word equinox comes from latin, meaning “equal night”. It defines the 24-hour period that night and day are equal. In the spring it indicates that there will be more hours of daylight than darkness each day. (The opposite is true in the fall and for those presently in the Southern Hemisphere.) As the light returns, we often feel energetic, jubilant, and full of life. Last year, I wrote a piece called Out of Hibernation during the first week of spring as I could really feel the energy of new life and new growth ready to be expressed. This year, many of us are still left with our heads spinning after a rollercoaster week and trying to make sense of what the “new normal” will be and how long it may last.

We’ve been sent home from work, school, and had to cancel celebrations and vacation plans. University students have moved back home and we are told not to visit our elderly loved ones. It feels strange enough already and we are worried because there is so much uncertainty, but the timing is in contradiction to our usual tendencies during this time of year. We are being told to hibernate and isolate when what we really want to do is break free from the darkness into the daylight; and it feels surreal and unnatural.

In many cultures, the spring equinox marks the beginning of a new year. That makes a lot of sense. The springtime is full of new life after all. The warmth and light from the sun provide important life energy that allows rapid growth. Even in the context of defining a lifetime by seasons, it all begins in the spring; the birth, the growth, the maturation. The seed in the ground sprouts and develops. Traditions of spring cleaning takes place around the world as homes are cleaned of the old to make space for the new life and new routines to come. It’s a time for planting and for connecting. Spring represents coming out of the cocoon, new birth and fertility and is symbolized with eggs and bunnies and blossoms.

While it has initially felt very disorienting for the movement in our lives to have come to such an abrupt halt, there are opportunities here too for each on of us. Life can feel like we are on a hamster wheel and we are doing all kinds of things and ticking the boxes, but aren’t really going anywhere. We say things like, “Someday, I’m going to…” or “If I weren’t so busy, I would…” play more music, learn a language, read more books, exercise everyday, write a book, meditate, organize the photos, make art…” Fill in the blank of whatever is true for you.  While there are many essential workers who are steadfastly working to save lives, and provide support to communities in a variety of ways, many others are simply home, off the hamster wheel, waiting and watching as news unfolds each day. In some ways, it suddenly seems that without the daily commute and other things that fill our days, we have at least a portion of that time that we’ve been dreaming of to do the things that we really want to be doing. Someday may have arrived, but we must to be conscious enough to notice it.

Technology is a double-edged sword in this situation. It allows for many educational pursuits during this period of isolation and the ability to remain connected with family and friends. It is also a massive, endless distraction. How many hours/days would you like back having spent too much time online and on social media or being spoon-fed Netflix episodes? In order to take advantage of this opportunity, we must be mindful and practice with discipline. Start with just one thing at a time and build on that. Plant that one seed and nurture it. Make that new activity or pursuit a priority. New growths are fragile and require special attention. As I’ve written previously about habits, once new routines are established, they are able to continue to develop more automatically.

There is a powerful seasonal energy during the equinox period. So much so that ancient monuments such as Stonehenge in England and the Mayan pyramids at Chichen Itza in Mexico have special portals within the structure to mark the transition. This weekend is a great time to turn off the devices for a few minutes or few hours and take some time and space to harness that energy into something special that will enhance your life and create positive growth during this otherwise challenging global period.