Spring brings a lot of noise with it. Like the opening chords of January that sing with “new year, new you”, as the evenings start to get lighter and the days start to get longer, we’re inundated with articles and marketing about getting ready for summer, spring cleaning our homes, organising our things/thoughts/emotions and glowing up so we don’t repulse our fellow humans once the days are brighter and all our supposed “flaws” are on show. It’s loud. It’s a lot.
If you, like me, are hoping for a softer, quieter, slower spring. Here are some gentle curations you may like to explore in your own life this season (if you feel so inclined).
Kintsugi
Rather than buying into the idea that you need to change yourself or strive to be better than you currently are (what does that even mean, anyway?), turn to the art of Kintsugi and spend the next few weeks pouring gold into the cracks that line your heart. Let their shimmer gleam outwards and allow yourself to just be in all of your beautiful humanness. Rather than striving and pushing, try on acceptance. See the tender parts of yourself with love and allow that love to harden into something lustrous and magnificent.
Scent
Scents are vehicles. They take us into the past, to who we were, but can also be used to call in our future memories. Right now, everyone is recommending lighter, wispy, delicate scents to match the season. Instead, confuse everyone by celebrating those heavier, darker scents. The ones that smell like fertile forests, untouched by time. Allow the juxtaposition between the lengthening days and the heavier scent draped around you to spark conversation. Become unexpected. Lean in to woodsy, smoky and decadent scents - channel an old library, a forest after dark, the crumbling pages of a book on witchcraft. Become unforgettable.
Totem
Adopt a totem for the season as a personal sign from the universe. Set a bee as a reminder that though you may be small, you are integral to the entire ecosystem. Wear the emblem with pride. Remind yourself that you are capable of achieving great things.
Intention
Go slowly. Spring is a time of emergence, not urgency. Savour the long wake up after the darkness of winter. Spring is a time to look around, to notice, to begin to decide what’s next for you. Try on a little dilly dallying, a dander, a potter - you may find it suits you better than the frenetic energy on display elsewhere.
Consume
Poetry. As much as possible. People watch in a café over your favourite coffee and pastry combo. Mark the next full moon in your diary, and when that night comes, burn a candle and whisper your deepest desires into the universe.
Above all remember that you are worthy. That life is not something to endure, but a space where we should thrive. Enjoy the season.
"pouring gold into the cracks that line your heart" ???? I swear i almost cried. your writing feels like a warm hug
I’m totally going to tell my fiancé I’m going for a dilly dally when I go on my evening walks now ☺️ loved this! Although in Australia we are in autumn, I can most definitely apply much of what you said to this slowing down period. Thank you! 🙏