by Maria Ede-Weaving
Wishing every one a joyful Equinox! It is a glorious day here in Scotland; the sun is shining to mark the beginning of spring. The tree buds are unfurling, the blossoming has begun in earnest and there is that wonderful feeling of excitement and anticipation; it is something in the nature of the light, or something releasing from earth, or both, a rising tide of energy that comes with the greening of the world. It is such a tonic given all that is going on across the globe at present.
I have written before of my love of the Bear Goddess Arta . In my own practice, she is very powerfully linked to the Equinoxes. At the Autumn Equinox I see her retreating into her Cave to rest and dream; during the autumn and winter I view her as the Starry Bear of the Heavens – the Great Bear Constellation – She is the midwife of my own dreaming, my own inward journeying in search of healing, recovery and wisdom. She gives me the courage to turn inward and explore my inner landscape, to meditate, to listen and wait patiently for answers.
At the Spring Equinox, Arta emerges from her Cave, out into the light in search of nourishment; She gives me the strength to explore the outer landscape, to connect to the world, to expand outside my comfort zone and to take action on my dreams or in service of the world.
This process also happens each day at the two points when I surrender into sleep and rise to greet the day. Whether you are simply waking to a new day, or a new year, or alternatively letting go into sleep or the dark half of the year, working with Arta’s beautiful energy can help you to feel enfolded in her protection and filled with her strength and courage.
In an earlier post about Arta I wrote,
In dark and fearful times, all we need do is gaze up into the night sky to see her ever present starry form stretched across the heavens. In the spring, the paws of the Great Bear constellation are up high, walking the spiral galaxy, the bowl of her ‘Big Dipper’ inverted, pouring the love of Arta upon the awakening earth. The Great She-Bear of the night sky points us to the pole star; with Arta we are never lost; she is the star fire that guides us.
In these dark times, I look to these words again to remind me to stay connected to Arta’s strength, to plug into her courage to love and protect what is vulnerable and precious in our beautiful world. I hold on to her power to envision, to dream and to bring these dreams and visions that have been nurtured in the darkness, out into the light where they can flourish and do good. It takes the Bear Goddess’ immense courage to crack the shell of our limitations, the old restrictive or damaging structures falling away to reveal the tender new life emerging. It also takes Arta’s strength of character to surrender into the dark days, to know that retreating into our visions is as important as launching into action; if we are to make a real difference in our world, we need both. The Equinox teaches us about that balance and how vital it is to cycle.
I hope that Mother Honey Paw’s sweetness blesses you on this day of equal light and dark – wishing you the deep peace of Arta’s Cave and the vibrant joy of Her emergence!
Do please share where are you now? Are you resurfacing or going inward? Do you work with Arta in your practice, or similar energies? How do you find your courage and your strength? I love the image below by Dana O’Driscoll – you see more of Dana’s beautiful work here.
