Nurturing Happiness in Spring's Emergence
Physical Setting & Preparation
Find a space filled with natural light if possible, near a window or outdoors if the weather permits. Arrange before you a small vase with fresh flowers or budding branches, a yellow or gold candle (unlit or lit, as you prefer), and a small dish of honey or sweet fruit. Sit comfortably with your back straight but not rigid, allowing your shoulders to relax and your chest to open. Place your hands palms up on your thighs or knees, in a gesture of receptivity and gratitude. Take fourteen breaths—one for each day that has passed in this month—allowing each inhale to fill you with light and each exhale to spread warmth throughout your body.
Opening Invocation | Fosgladh
Air a' cheathramh latha deug den Mhàrt,
Eadar geamhradh a' falbh,
Agus earrach a' tighinn gu làn neart,
Tha mi a' faireachdainn sonas ag èirigh.
A Mhàthair na talmhainn, daingnich an gàirdeachas seo.
On this fourteenth day of March,
Between winter departing,
And spring coming to full strength,
I feel happiness rising.
Mother of the earth, anchor this joy.
Feel the vibrant energy of mid-March—the fourteenth day—a time when the balance between winter and spring begins to tip decisively toward renewal. The sunlight strengthens, birdsong fills the morning air, and green shoots push more boldly through the warming soil. This mirrors the feeling of happiness—a lightening of spirit, a natural response to life's expansion. Observe the quality of light around you, how it seems to infuse everything with subtle gold. Visualize your happiness as a warm, golden glow in your heart center, pulsing gently outward with each beat, just as the earth pulses with renewed life in every direction.
Body of the Working | Corp
Tha sonas mar a' ghrian earraich,
A' blàthachadh na talmhainn fuar.
Tha e a' toirt dhuinn fàilte don bheatha,
Mar a bheir flùraichean fàilte don t-solas.
Happiness is like the spring sun,
Warming the cold earth.
It gives us welcome to life,
As flowers welcome the light.
Gently touch the petals of the flowers or the buds on the branches. These are perfect expressions of natural joy—opening toward the light without hesitation or self-consciousness. Feel their delicate texture, their inherent contentment with being exactly what they are. This is the gift of the Mother Earth, who expresses happiness not as an extraordinary state but as the natural condition of life unfolding according to its own wisdom.
Now, bring your awareness to your body. Where do you feel happiness most clearly? Perhaps in your chest as a warmth, in your face as a smile that forms without effort, or in your breathing as a new ease and depth. As you locate these sensations, acknowledge them with appreciation. With each breath, imagine the Mother's nurturing presence helping this happiness take root more deeply within you—not as a fleeting emotion but as a sustainable state of being, just as the earth's joy in spring is not momentary but a steady unfolding over many weeks.
The Deep Working | An Obair Dhomhain
A Mhàthair na talmhainn, teagaisg dhomh,
Mar a ghleidheas mi sonas gun a bhith ga ghlacadh,
Mar a dh'àraicheas mi aoibhneas gun a bhith an eisimeil.
Cuidich mi gus mo chridhe fhosgladh,
Mar a dh'fhosglas bláth don driùchd moch.
Mother of the earth, teach me,
How to hold happiness without grasping it,
How to nurture joy without dependence.
Help me to open my heart,
As a blossom opens to the early dew.
Place a small taste of honey or sweet fruit on your tongue. Allow the sweetness to dissolve slowly as you close your eyes and imagine yourself standing in a sun-filled meadow. The grass beneath your feet is vibrant green, interspersed with early wildflowers—white, yellow, and purple stars against the verdant backdrop. The air is perfectly temperate, carrying the scent of soil warming and new growth.
In this sacred space, the Mother of the Earth approaches. She wears a gown woven of sunlight and shadow, patterned like dappled light through young leaves. Her eyes reflect both joy and wisdom—the perfect balance of delight and depth. In her hands, she carries a small clay cup filled with what appears to be liquid sunlight.
"Happiness is neither trivial nor transient," she speaks, her voice like gentle wind through spring leaves. "It is the natural state of being when we align with life's flow. Like these flowers that do not question their right to bloom, your joy is a rightful expression of your nature."
She offers you the cup. "Many mistake happiness for something external that must be pursued or achieved," she continues. "But true happiness arises from within, like sap rising in a tree." As you accept the cup and drink, warmth spreads through your entire being—not as an intoxicating rush but as a gentle remembrance of your own natural state.
"Feel how this joy is not separate from all other experiences," she instructs. "It can coexist with challenge, with grief, with change—just as spring contains both gentle rains and sudden storms." She gestures to the sky where light clouds pass across the sun, creating a dance of brightness and shadow across the meadow.
"This is the deeper happiness that sustains through all seasons," she smiles. "Not dependent on perfect conditions, but arising from connection to the wholeness of life."
Feel her wisdom settling into your being, creating fertile soil for sustainable happiness. Remain in this connection for several minutes, breathing deeply.
Afterthought | Smuain Dheiridh
Take a moment to contemplate:
How might I nurture happiness as a practice rather than pursuing it as a goal? What simple pleasures in my daily life might I attend to more fully, as a flower attends to sunlight? In what ways can I allow happiness to flow naturally through me without attempting to capture or prolong it?
Closing Blessing | Beannachd Dheiridh
Tha mi a' toirt taing dhut, a Mhàthair na talmhainn,
Airson do sholas agus do ghàirdeachas.
Mar a sgaoileas tu aoibhneas tro gach duilleag is flùr,
Mar sin sgaoilidh mi sonas tro gach facal is gnìomh.
Tha mi a' giùlan do shunnd nàdarra leam.
I give thanks to you, Mother of the earth,
For your light and your joy.
As you spread happiness through every leaf and flower,
So will I spread happiness through every word and deed.
I carry your natural cheerfulness with me.
Gently touch the candle flame or its unlit wick, acknowledging the light of consciousness that allows you to experience happiness. Smell the fragrance of the flowers or budding branches, a reminder that joy, like scent, can pervade your awareness without being seen. Finally, touch your heart center, recognizing it as the source of sustainable happiness.
Rise slowly, carrying the earth's natural joy within you. Know that just as the fourteenth of March stands in the increasing light of approaching spring, you too stand in the natural light of your own inherent happiness—not dependent on circumstances but flowing from your connection to all life.