by Alexandra Heep

Created on: March 05, 2011   Last Updated: March 21, 2011

Shades of Spring

Depending on where you live, spring may not always be green. It could be different shades of brown, tan, or even white. It may not always be pretty to look at upon first glance as the grounds could be muddy and appear lifeless. Regardless, the journey towards spring is often punctuated by a heightened sense of awareness in humans. Also, underneath the ground, growth takes place that may not be obvious at first.

Spring can bring excitement, especially for those in harsh climates who have to shovel through mountains of snow and endure record-setting cold temperatures. For those who live in hot climates, spring is a welcome season, perhaps the favorite. To them, it brings bearable temperatures along with beautiful sunshine before the oppressive heat of the summer parches the earth and high humidity weighs down the human spirit.

The modern calendar announces the arrival of spring near March 21 in the western hemisphere, on the vernal equinox in the third month of the year. However, the New York Times reports in an article about moon phases and seasons that March was actually the first month of the year, dating back to early Roman times. According to a folklore segment on www.highland.hitcho.com.au, Scotland changed it in 1599, and the rest of the modern world followed a century-and-a-half later. That in itself is interesting because the proper month of the season, where life really stirs and begins anew, was actually starting the year at one point in time keeping. 

Now the vernal equinox goes largely unnoticed in the Western world. However, many in the Eastern culture and those who follow earth-based religion pay it homage. In addition to the increased awareness of the changing cycles of the Earth, it is celebrated, but not limited to, by choosing certain foods, colors, crystals, decorations, and clothing. In reality, you do not have to have any religion at all to appreciate spring and its meaning. Many famous poets, such as Robert Frost, William Blake, Robert Louis Stevenson, and of course William Shakespeare; have been inspired by spring and written some of their best works around this season.

For me, spring has meant all of it. I’ve experienced it in different continents, countries, and climates. No matter what winter had in store for me, each spring gives me an opportunity to get it right. Even some years the shades were rather dark. However, just like we shed clothing layers, we also get to shed the past. Perhaps therein is the magic of that season. No matter what the meteorological circumstances may be of its arrival, spring has the most promise of things to come, whether you can see them or not.

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