Ellen F. Franklin, PhD
2020 is a Leap Year, celebrated on February 29, with Leap Day, a day of enormous potential when we might do something different or bold. As many of us feel the dynamic tension of time, not having enough hours in the day, or days in the week an extra day this month, has me reflecting on personal assumptions about time. What concepts or practices do we engage in that force us to see the limitations of time rather than to embrace the gifts of each and every moment of our lives, our inborn seed of potential. How do we carve out the time for rest and renewal when there are so many demands on every moment of everyday? As we bear witness to global unrest, environmental devastation, political upheaval, and the emerging Corona Virus Pandemic, what can we do to both continue to be of service, while also finding a place of internal balance, for self-care, and a remembrance of the things that bring us to a place of peace, gratitude, love and light. How might you leap forward charged with energy and inspiration?
Leap day and year seem to provide us with an opportunity to examine the paradigms that shape our perceptions of the world, what framework direct or inhibit your actions? Are there things that you long to shift to reduce the impact of forces seen and unseen that shape your current reality. Perhaps this extra day in our calendar can be a day that we dedicate to something we long for in our lives, but have difficulty making time to do. Leap day was built into the calendar to ensure that our modern solar calendar remain in proper alignment with the actual time that it takes the Earth to orbit around the Sun, which is slightly longer that 365 days, actually 365.2421 days. In order to have consistency with the true astronomical year every four years, we add a day to the calendar. Reflect for a moment on the idea of proper alignment between the Sun, our heart and the Earth are home. How will you spend this gift of 24 hours to jump, dive, spring, climb or vault into something rewarding and new?
As we move from winter to spring, from the perspective of the Five Elements, Winter relates to the element of Water, and is viewed as a time of hibernation. This is the season when we are encouraged to go inward to rebuild our reserves for Spring. It is an opportunity to rest, preserve our energy, and even hibernate. Despite the demands that guide daily life, this cold, overcast, New Mexico day, is an invitation to build a fire in the wood stove and to settle in for the day. Actively making time for renewal, enables us to expand our ability to embrace the gifts of water to overcome obstacles and find a natural flow that helps us to reclaim our inborn strength and ability to thrive in a difficult world. It is deeply challenging to stop, but occasionally the body demands it, especially when we are trying to overcome obstacles and jump freely into a new paradigm.
Despite the continuing cold and high winds here in New Mexico the growing dome continues to provide us with an abundance of fresh produce including beets, three types of kale, chard, collards, spinach, lots of cilantro, oregano, thyme and lettuce. In March Donna will begin the transition to spring and summer crops, planting cucumbers and tomatoes and arugula.
Upcoming Mothership Events
ACEP 2020 Conference, Baltimore, MD – May 15th -17th, 2020
Join Ellen Franklin, Maren Good, Valentina Morani, earn clinic hours by helping in our booth.
Acutonics Level IV, May 20th - 22nd & Sedna, May 24th - 26th, 2020
Study with Donna Carey, LAc & Ellen Franklin, PhD, contact sande@acutonics.com to register.