THE MOOD: Tender Tendrils

Spring is, indeed, like a literal spring – a coil that has been tightly wound, its energy stored and concentrated to be powerfully released. Spring is made possible by the rest, reflection, and stored energy of winter. 

This spring feels distinct, more like an emergence from a three-year “winter” that began with the pandemic in 2020. Much of the world has decided to dive into, headfirst, many of the large-scale, indoor activities that the pandemic put on pause. COVID precautions are discussed rarely, if at all, ushering forth a season in which disabled and immunocompromised folks have been largely forgotten.

After a three-year winter, what have we learned? What do we draw from to release into spring?

I think of all the ways that we have practiced caring for each other and how we must not forget to carry these practices forward. Each of the signs of spring shows us some ways how. 

Aries is the moment when the coil releases. Aries gives us the bravery, motivation, and drive to leap forward. It offers us strength to take the risk of speaking up for ourselves and each other, to passionately advocate for and birth new ways of being. At its most powerful, Aries knows that self-care is community care, still.

It is Taurus who steadies, knowing that we cannot leap constantly without exhausting ourselves. It relishes in the reverberations, tasting them, feeling them flow through its body. Taurus reminds us of the long game and that our bodies are worthy of conservation, pleasure, and deep sustenance.

One gentle push of the wind is Gemini’s call to action. Gemini brings the curiosity and flexibility to adapt, to try new ways of interaction and exchange, flitting easily between the tangible and virtual worlds. It learns through rapid exploration, sharing the information and insights that offer infinite possibilities for how we can interact with each other.

This spring, we have a long winter to draw upon – a winter in which we checked in with each other, hybridized events, ate outdoors, and asked each other what we needed. Let us not forget this foundation, this winter. Let us spring forth with care.