Tribute to Spring, by Larry Sceurman

A time for renewal, balance, and thought

The spring equinox, Monday, March 20, is the first day of spring. I imagine the celebration of spring, the beginning of the new, rebirth, the ability to grow and sustain life has always been with us.

Indigenous people believe that Mother Earth gives birth in spring, that the spring rains and the spring waters begin to flow in the same manner as a woman’s water breaking when she gives birth.

Yellow in the East that represents springtime in the stages of life on the medicine wheel. The time when spirits are preparing for their journey into the physical world. Ancient beliefs are telling us that midway between winter and summer is a time for the new to emerge. A very spiritual time.

The Anishinaabe and the Ojibwe cultures call the third moon (March moon) the “Sugar Moon,” for the maple sap starts to flow through the trees and is tapped to obtain sugary syrup. The syrup is taken to balance the blood to help balance our lives. Again, the notion of equalization and the newness of life.

The Pueblo people call the third moon the “Wind Strong Moon.” The winds come and blow Winter away allowing spring to arrive. Other Indigenous people referred to the March full moon as the “Worm Moon,” named for the worms that appear in the soil as the temperature gradually rises. Also, for the larva that starts to emerge this time of year. Once more a resurrection that brings balance to the world around us.

Note: the full moon is March 7, the last quarter moon is March 14, the new moon is March 21, and the first quarter moon is March 28… all seven days apart. The Spring Equinox is very close to the new moon. Yet again there is a theme of equalization and newness.

Kokopelli of the Hopi, Zuni, and Pueblo people of the southwest plays a variety of roles, from fertility deity to a trickster. Kokopelli plays his flute to chase away winter so spring can come into bloom. He is the planter of seeds, not just seeds of plants and trees but seeds of insects, animals, birds, fish, and humans. This spiritual belief of birth and rebirth takes place in spring, a time for renewal.

From the Chaco culture around 900AD, a petroglyph of the sun dagger remains on the cliff wall of Fajada Butte in northwest New Mexico. Two spirals, one large and the other smaller at the upper left of the larger one are carved into the rock. Three giant rock slabs are strategically placed in front of the spirals that produce a sliver of light shaped like a dagger. This dagger of light is cast upon the sculptured spirals to indicate Summer solstice, Winter solstice, and the Fall and Spring equinox. When I watch the videos of this ancient cosmic calendar, I can’t help but think that the changing of the seasons is much more than a ritual of nature. It is a spiritual time for all.

Spring is an excellent time to observe the world around us by looking at nature, the Earth’s rotation, and tilt at 23.5°, the sun, the moon, the motion, and the balance of it all. Changing of seasons is important not just to our physical world, but to our inner self as well. Our moods change with the season, we look for a new birth of creativity, and it helps us to balance out our own cosmic calendar. Technology is wonderful, it can simplify and complicate our lives. With a glance at your cell phone, you can tell the weather of the week to come, but the ancient Indigenous people could tell the precise time of the changing of the seasons, with their technology of a spiral on a cliff wall and three rock slabs. Have a happy spring! God bless and have fun!

Larry Sceurman is the author of the nostalgic novella, The Death of Big Butch, and the upcoming fiction anthology, Coffee in the Morning.