In much earlier times, our ancestors obeyed the demands of the seasons rather than the tyranny of the clock. Sunrise and sunset pretty much defined our work days, and the hearth of a home, no matter how humble, transformed into its storytelling stage. Those days were, in terms of creature comforts, lived brutally close to the bone when compared to our heated and plumbed rural or urban dwelling places. Those days were also excellent teachers of the natural ebb and flow of life, something it is easy for those of us in the west to lose track of in our constantly lighted, 24/7 patterns of contemporary human activity. Observing the Celtic marker of Imbolc, Candlemass in the Christian Tradition, helps us to connect with Sun and Earth rhythms that ground us in a spiritual as well as natural-world reality. This grounding is vitally important because every healing practice, including EFT, is far more effective when we are consciously connecting with the rhythms of nature. We are, after all, a physical species and part of the natural web of life on Earth.
In the Celtic calendar, Imbolc marks the halfway point between the Winter Solstice, on or around December 21, and the Spring Equinox, on or around March 21st. In Celtic Lore, the Divine Seed or Spark is planted in the deepest dark, the onset of winter heralded by the Winter Solstice, its promise the return of light and warmth. This Divine Seed sparks to life – quickens – in early February . . . a time in the Celtic lands of Great Britain and Brittany when Ewes give birth and their human caretakers feel Spring’s breath on the back of their necks. Here in Vermont, we feel the profound promise contained in this energy during a winter thaw. Suddenly, the piles of snow begin disappearing to reveal the damp grasses and fertile earth beneath; on these surprisingly warm days, we can smell the warming soil and almost hear the sap of our beloved maple trees awaken from winter slumber.
Awareness of our primal Earth connections as we navigate through the persistent artificial light of our indoor, technologically driven lives awakens the joy we feel when we are present to our physical reality. Mary Oliver reminds us that to find our way home, we have only to let “the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” Taking a break from work to walk outside on a sunny day, to remove our gloves, to tilt our faces to the brilliant light that is winter’s special gift are subtle rituals that ground us in the natural rhythms of life on earth, if only briefly.
If we are unable to get out into the sunshine, we can still connect with Sun-and-Earth, life affirming energies. To connect with Earth, we need only massage the collar bone points of the general tapping sequence as we sit at our desks. These points are the end points of Kidney Meridian, the major Yin Meridian in the body. Massaging these points as we visualize tap roots growing from the soles of our feet down into the welcoming Earth allows us to consciously connect with the supportive energies that help us to get through our day with a sense of centred competence.
Once that grounded feeling is activated, we can then tap the beneath-the-eye points, Stomach Meridian’s starting place, as we imagine sunshine streaming into our bodies through our Crown Chakra and filling us with bursts of the Yang energies that help us to accomplish the tasks of the day, Consciously inviting Yin and Yang energies to commingle within us creates a sense of calm support for being coupled with energetic support for doing. This visualization invites a wonderfully productive marriage of energies, especially at transformational points in the seasonal cycle of life on our beautiful planet.
Making a space for a tapping session on our own quickening seeds, something we may think of as embryonic goals to grow more fully into our best selves, has a special potency at this time of year. A sequence might begin on the Karate Chop point (to address any unconscious resistance to change): “Even though I sometimes feel separated from the natural world, I trust that I too am part of the universal ebb and flow of life, that I belong here, that my life has value and enriches others in countless ways. Even though I sometimes feel disconnected, even from my self, I trust that these feelings will pass and that I will experience the joy of belonging in this beautiful world. Even though I sometimes feel like a rat in a maze, rushing, rushing, rushing to accomplish what I secretly fear are meaningless tasks, I trust that my life has value and meaning and that I can learn to behave well toward all others and our shared Earth home.”
These setup statements lead us into a profound affirmation of our Earthling status. We may be stockbrokers, therapists, teachers, or wellness support workers who feel rushed off our feet as we do our best to keep up with a never ending cycle of tasks, but deep in our cells, the place where the Imbolc quickening occurs, we know a very different truth. We belong to the Earth and as her creatures can tap into a limitless supply of congruence, of beauty, and of rejuvenation. Doing so makes us more fully alive.
Complete the circuit connecting us to Earth and Sun by using the following reminder statements while tapping on face, torso, or hand points: “I belong here; I am grounded in beauty and coherence; my true nature is calmly resilient; even in deep winter, Spring’s energies are returning me to innocence, joy, and peace; whatever my outer life is called to manifest, my inner life is always connected to the cycles of birth, life, death, and rebirth; I am an essential thread in Earth’s beautiful tapestry; like the trees and shrubs, four-legged creatures and birds, insects and microbes, I belong to the natural order of life and death on Earth; I am an Earthling and I am at peace.” As we consciously connect our human lives with the timeless natural rhythms danced by Earth, Sun, and the entire Universal panjandrum, we become more effective stewards of those gifts we have been charged with nurturing and protecting.
Until next week, Happy Imbolc . . . Happy Sunshine . . . Happy Quickening Seeds.
Jane