Winter 2021 Archives - Owl Medicine: Shamanic Healing

Waxing Windswept Moon – Photo: L. Weikel

Last Day of Winter

Welcome to the final day of winter 2021. The vernal equinox, or first day of spring, will officially arrive at 5:37 a.m. EDT on Saturday, March 20, 2021. Of course, that’s in the Northern Hemisphere. If you happen to be in the Southern Hemisphere, I’d say this is your last day of summer, and wish you happy first day of autumn – but you’re very nearly there already. (Consider it said anyway!)

It feels good to be putting this winter to bed. It gave us its all and it worked us out, too. I’m grateful for the abundance of snow we received. We spent most of the season dressed in a cloak of white. And the greatest part was how the snow barely had time to get all dirty and cinder-pocked before another storm would arrive to freshen our perspectives.

Today (the 19^th) is also, as many have already memorialized, the anniversary of when Pennsylvania acknowledged the pandemic for what it is and basically forced the commonwealth into power-save mode. I’m grateful we were one of the states that took the threat of the virus seriously fairly quickly.

It’s been a year. And it’s been a season.

A Doozy of a Week

Rounding out the pandemic year, and the winter season, this week has been strange and challenging. It felt oddly interminable. Every day I would wake up and struggle to grasp what day it was. People generally felt a little short-tempered, distant, or perhaps distracted.

Personally, I think the return of colder weather and the dismal overcast of the past few days (who among us enjoys taking a walk when it’s spitting rain and the temperature is hovering in the mid-30s?) took a toll on our ability to roll with the punches. Even though we knew last week – at least intellectually – that winter definitely would wrap its cold bony fingers around our shoulders at least one more time before more reliably spring-ish weather arrived, it still came as a punch to the gut to have to endure raw weather yet again.

And this time it wasn’t even accompanied by pretty white flakes.

Thank you winter, for providing us with so much cocoon time. I can’t wait to see what we all look like (creatively!) when we emerge from our chrysalises.

Icy Patterns – Photo: L. Weikel

(T-253)

Anticipation

I, for one, have thoroughly delighted in all the snow we received this winter. Yeah baby – storm after storm – barely having time to catch our breath. The snowstorms have been so relentless that, here we are, the 9^th of March, and there remain piles of snow on the ground beneath the eaves of our garage where blankets of snow, some 18” deep, slumped off. Yet here I am, brimming with anticipation over the change in weather this week.

Exactly two weeks ago, we were reveling in yet another ‘snow event.’ The township didn’t even bother to plow, cinder, or salt for several hours – quite probably because they have little product left and who knows how unpredictable March will be?! The best part about the lack of plowing was the chance to take a walk in the snow silence that only comes when everything is covered in a downy comforter of white stuff.

And yes, I used the word reveling. My only regret has been that I didn’t go sleigh riding even once. (I know, I know. Most people call it sledding. But it’s always been sleigh riding to me.) While I’m sure having to trudge back up the hill would’ve dissuaded me from taking more than one pass down, even a singlet would’ve been fun.

Snow Blanket – Photo: L. Weikel

Here We Are

But here we are, looking forward to at least three days of temperatures soaring into the 60s, with the chance of actually reaching 70 by Thursday. Nothing volatile at all about March weather, amiright?

And I have to say: I’m feelin’ it. Just this morning, with temperatures still briskly hovering in the low 30s, I filled the bird feeders and noticed yellow green shoots just starting to pierce the surface of the garden. Daffodils are on their way!

I’m excited to document the progress of these sprouts over the next few days. When I close my eyes and imagine the life force in these bulbs, I feel a powerful buzz, a pent-up sense of desire wanting to burst forth toward the sun.

Let springtime commence.