Image description: A field of orange poppies against a blue, cloudless sky.

Julie Brannen, MA, LCPC, R-DMT, GL-CMA

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. It brings me so much hope to the cycles of nature blooming again after the death of winter. It can also bring about feelings of sadness if one is in a dark place. The outer world may not match how we feel inside. 

May is mental health awareness month. It is helpful to name the reality of challenges that come along with being human right now in this society. 

This passage from WeMoon, an artistic calendar uplifting women’s voices, put it well: 

You strong one, your roots go deep. Remember this. Remember to glory in your roots, trace along them, let them drink and grow. You are one with the Earth. ⁠

Stretch from the ground you stand on. Grow from your oneness with what birthed you. That imperturbable, joyful, abundant fierce Earth. The legacy of the creatures we have always been. ⁠

At the heart of our wildness is a deep calm. Such an authentic reverence, the wonder of being exactly what we are. At the heart of all our beauty is something born of the dance of earthquakes and shaken by nothing. ⁠

Love is the most radiant, transformative, intensive force that drives life. Life is asking us to truly fall in love, to show up with the unapologetic, fearsome tenderness of every formidable being that ever fought to nourish and protect what it cherishes—to become formidably loving through earthquakes and tenderness. ⁠

⁠Some journal questions for reflection: 

  • What are the roots of your beauty? 
  • What are the foundations of your joy? 
  • What is the wellspring of your strength? 
  • How will you build your capacity for the love of this life and this world?

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