The Vernal Equinox will take place on March 20th for the Northern Hemisphere. This is the day in which the sun is situated exactly over the equator and day and night are of equal length. The Vernal Equinox is also called Spring Equinox as it also marks the beginning of Spring.
The long period of darkness marked by the winter solstice in which we faced our shadow, released, healed, and planted the seeds of new dreams is over. Light takes over the darkness and the Vernal Equinox represents rebirth, the all potential of our new life and light, new beginnings, and path.
In preparation for allowing the energy of the Vernal Equinox to support our new endeavors, it is important to consciously choose what we want to create. Rather than going to our minds for answers, what we need is to listen to the yearnings of our hearts. If you sit still, go inwards and ask yourself: What is the dream/desire that I have been ignoring, postponing, or avoiding? You will rekindle the fire of your heart and know the answer.
The most prevalent reasons for which we allow our dreams/desires to be extinguished are the logical reasons our masterful mind gives us – telling us we could never experience what we desire. The mind is not to blame, it has heard the world declaring dreams are impossible most likely since you were a child. The mind has come to believe this and tries to protect us from what seems risky, foolish or unfeasible.
A practice that has helped me -and my clients- to tame the fears of the mind is a ceremony of light as I learned it from the shamanic teacher Alberto Villoldo. This is a ceremony in which we invite our fears and allow them to be bathed in light, as light is one of the expressions of Divine. Our fears lurk in the darkness imprisoning and contracting us and they build up if we try to fight them resisting to die. Yet, our fears truly are our most faithful protectors and rather than fighting them, we can be grateful for their service, and invite them to be seen and listened to. Everything responds and softens in the presence of love and our fears do too.
Ceremony of Light
The first step is to prepare the sacred space. In the same way you prepare your home to receive the visit of your most beloved friend expressing your loving care, a special space and time needs to be arranged for Great Spirit and the spirits that love and care for you. The following suggestions have proven useful:
Schedule at least 45 minutes and a place where you will not be disturbed during this time.
Set an altar. It does not require many things just beauty: A candle, a small bowl with water, a flower, or crystals will suffice.
Have a comfortable place to sit.
A thin wooden stick such as bamboo food pick or skewer. An incense burner or a cup filled with sand or salt to place the standing wooden stick in it.
Have a journal and pen or other media to record your experience at the end of the ceremony.
Turn off your cell phone, computers and other sources of distraction.
Always begin by consciously opening the sacred space calling Great Spirit and your guide spirits. Be fully present and take inventory of what feels oppressive or uneasy in you today. Identify the thoughts, feelings, or patterns of behavior that need to be released. Most often these are critical statements about self and/or others or a repetitive behavior whose consequences elicit unpleasant feelings in you. Pay attention to where you feel unease in your body.
Take one wooden stick and whisper into it all you want to release. Once you have spoken all you want to release begin burning the wooden stick in a safe way. You may hold it until it is safe for you to do so, or place it in the incense burner/cup with sand or salt. Depending on the thickness of the stick you may need to light it several times until it is fully consumed.
When the stick is fully consumed, take the candle and safely (about 15” away from your body) bring it to the chakra from where the unpleasant feeling came. With your hand bring the healing energy of fire into that chakra and then continue with all the other chakras that experienced a release. When this is completed take some time to integrate the energy of fire and Divine light in your body. Feel it infusing and igniting every cell of your body. Then experience your energy field around all your body and fill it with Divine light.
Close this ceremony by giving thanks to Great Spirit and your spirit guides for the loving healing you have received. Repeat this ceremony often to keep yourself open to think, feel and act in different ways than the ones you freed yourself from.
It will be a pleasure for me to hear about your experiences, your contribution is deeply valued as it helps elevate our collective consciousness.
With all my love
Elizabeth Alanis
K”an Cozscatl Zipactonal (Precious Jewel of Harmonic Light)
