March: coming in like a lion. Spring, like a sleeping cat....

Do you know or remember the adage “When March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb? “

Today, on March 1st in the high country, the lion roars. Warm temperatures and melting snow contrast with blasts of cold wind and swirling, raging flurries. All of the world is white, gray, brown and muted green, far from budding leaves and blooms. Spring sleeps, like a cat in the sun. But spring is in the air, as the wind begins its months of ushering out winter.

Here, spring is a fraction of what is really Wind & Mud Season, an initiation of sorts, for getting to spring. Its physical manifestation comes after weeks of preparation, much like dance and theater, culminating in seemingly effortless performances. Despite occasional days of brilliant sun and the bluest of skies, spring in the mountains is often not the most scenic of times, more than months long, shorter than summer and not for the faint of heart. Those who can, leave.

Deep, squishy mud, the texture that only a potter could love, is the marriage of the elements Earth and Water. Wind, in your face and at your back, can't be ignored. Sharp and stimulating as a whiff of peppermint, it challenges, teases and invites awakening, release and embracing the unexpected shifts and changes that are literally in the air.

Are you irritated by the wind? Do you avoid going outside? Aligning with the wind, becoming one with its wildness, is actually exhilarating!

Here's a tool:

Nature Link Practice: Alignment With the Wind.

• Air is the element of Spring, of the direction East and of mental energies, including thought and communication. As the sword is a symbol of East, being in sync with the wind results in the opportunity to cut away old thought patterns and to welcome and incorporate new ideas.
  
  
• Go outside and begin walking, somewhere in nature. Focus upon the wind. Feel its powerful, transformational forces. Notice which direction it comes from. Is is cold or warm, gentle, moderate or raging? Is it consistent or gusty? Breathe deeply into and with the wind. Let any negative thoughts and limiting beliefs arise. As you exhale, feel, sense, see and even hear them being blown away. Wind can cause you to hold your breath. Make sure that you are breathing into your diaphragm, noticing your belly moving in and out.
  
  
• As you inhale, intend that the wind fills you with renewed vitality, ideas, inspiration, information and excitement. Exhale stagnant energies accumulated through the winter into the ground, through the bottom of your feet.
  
  
• As you walk, intend that your motion moves with the wind. Notice the changes in your physical body, emotions and thoughts, as you become lighter and more grounded.
  
  
• Have gratitude for the wind, as it brings and takes away clouds, rain and snow. Visualize a balance of weather in your area, based upon the needs of the environment, not just on personal preference. Happy Spring!