Finding Happiness in Spring's Dance
“Murphles, Find peace and joy, and most importantly, find love.” — Wendy
Physical Setting & Preparation
Find a space filled with morning light if possible, near a window where you can observe the awakening day or outdoors if weather permits. Arrange before you symbols of joy and happiness: fresh flowers or budding branches, something yellow or gold to represent sunlight, a small cup of honey water or sweet herbal tea, and if possible, a small mirror to reflect light. Sit comfortably with your spine straight but relaxed, allowing your shoulders to drop away from your ears and your facial muscles to soften into a gentle smile. Place your hands palms up on your thighs or knees, in a gesture of openness to receiving joy. Take twenty-three gentle breaths—one for each day that has passed in this month—allowing each inhale to fill you with lightness and each exhale to spread warmth throughout your body
Opening Invocation | Fosgladh
Air an treas latha fichead den Mhàrt,
Anns an àm seo de dhùsgadh,
Nuair a tha an saoghal a' dannsa le beatha ùr,
Tha mi a' fosgladh do shonas an earraich.
A Mhàthair na talmhainn, fosgail mo chridhe do ghàirdeachas.
On this twenty-third day of March,
In this time of awakening,
When the world dances with new life,
I open to the happiness of spring.
Mother of the earth, open my heart to joy.
Feel the uplifting energy of late March—the twenty-third day—when spring's presence becomes undeniable. The earth warms beneath the strengthening sun, birds call to one another in courtship, and the first wildflowers create bursts of color against winter-brown landscapes. This mirrors the experience of happiness—a lightening of spirit, a natural response to life's beauty and abundance. Observe the quality of light around you, how it seems to infuse everything with gentle gold. Visualize your happiness as a warm glow in your heart center, radiating outward with each beat, just as the earth radiates renewed life in all directions.
Body of the Working | Corp
Tha sonas mar blàthan an earraich,
A' fosgladh gun strì don t-solas.
Tha e a' teagasg dhuinn gabhail ri tlachd gu nàdarrach,
Mar a ghabhas an talamh ri blàths na grèine.
Happiness is like spring blossoms,
Opening effortlessly to the light.
It teaches us to receive pleasure naturally,
As the earth receives the sun's warmth.
Touch the petals of the flowers or the buds on the branches before you. These are perfect expressions of natural joy—opening to 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 readily? 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 na gluasadan beaga,
Mar a chì mi maise anns na rudan cumanta.
Cuidich mi gus dannsa le solas gach latha,
Mar a dhannsas duilleagan sa ghaoith.
Mother of the earth, teach me,
How to hold happiness in small movements,
How to see beauty in ordinary things.
Help me to dance with light each day,
As leaves dance in the wind.
Take a small sip of honey water or herbal tea, allowing the sweetness to dissolve slowly on your tongue. Close your eyes and imagine yourself standing in a sun-dappled grove just awakening to spring. The trees around you bear a fine mist of green—leaves just beginning to unfurl. The forest floor is a tapestry of emerging life—small flowers in white, yellow, and purple creating stars against the earth. The air is perfectly temperate and carries the scent of soil warming and green growing.
In this sacred space filled with new life, the Mother of the Earth approaches. She moves with the lightness of a spring breeze, yet her steps are firmly connected to the ground. Her laughter is the sound of flowing water, and flowers seem to turn toward her as she passes, responding to her joy as they would to the sun.
"Happiness is neither shallow nor selfish," she speaks, her voice like gentle wind through young 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 invites you to join her in a simple dance—steps that follow the natural contours of the land, movements that honor the body's inherent wisdom. As you move together, you feel happiness not as an emotion separate from yourself but as the very substance of your being—as natural as breathing, as essential as heartbeat.
"Many seek happiness in dramatic moments or major achievements," she continues as you dance. "But true happiness lives in the thousand small pleasures that each day offers—the warmth of sunlight on skin, the taste of fresh water, the touch of a gentle breeze, the sight of a single flower opening."
She guides you to a small stream where water moves musically over stones. "Listen to how the water finds joy in every contour of its journey," she instructs. "It does not wish to be elsewhere or other than it is. This is the secret of happiness—complete presence in the moment, complete acceptance of what is."
She cups her hands in the stream and offers you a drink of the clear water. As you taste it, you feel happiness spreading throughout your body—not as an intoxicating rush but as a quiet recognition of your own true nature. "This joy is always available," she smiles. "Not dependent on circumstances but flowing 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:
What small, ordinary pleasures might I notice more fully in my daily life? How might I cultivate a practice of presence that allows natural happiness to flow more freely? In what ways can I dance more lightly with life, neither clinging to joy nor pushing it away when it naturally arises?
Closing Blessing | Beannachd Dheiridh
Tha mi a' toirt taing dhut, a Mhàthair na talmhainn,
Airson do sholas agus do ghàirdeachas.
Mar a nochdas tu aoibhneas tro gach duilleag is blàth,
Mar sin nochdaidh mi sonas tro gach facal is gnìomh.
Tha mi a' giùlan do dhannsa aotrom leam.
I give thanks to you, Mother of the earth,
For your light and your joy.
As you express delight through every leaf and blossom,
So will I express happiness through every word and deed.
I carry your light dance with me.
Look briefly in the mirror if you have one, acknowledging the light that shines from within you. Touch the flowers or budding branches, connecting with their natural expression of joy. If you have something yellow or gold, hold it briefly, absorbing its solar qualities. Finally, take one more sip of your sweet drink, allowing its taste to remind you that sweetness is woven into the fabric of daily life for those who have eyes to see and tongues to taste.
Rise slowly, carrying the earth's natural joy within you. Know that on this twenty-third of March, as spring continues to unfold its beauty across the land, you too can unfold the natural happiness that dwells within you—not through striving or forcing, but through the simple practice of presence with life exactly as it is in this moment.
I need to “dance more lightly with life”, for sure! I have a hard time with joy. And I do pay attention to the little things - they’re all that gets me through. But hard lessons of “be seen and not heard”, etc. have stuck with me all my life.