Some of you have been with the 4 Wild Women on this Journalling Journey for close to 3 months now, closing in on completing the 1st Quarter of 2023!
This is an awesome accomplishment. Well done you!
As our 1st quarter year together approaches – we’re marking the Spring Equinox - 4WW style!
The Equinox and Solstice are nature’s invitation to us: (1) to pause and reflect; (2) to plan our future – our next days/weeks/months/quarters/years; (3) to celebrate our victories and learn from our defeats. It is a cyclical process for us following the sun and the seasons. The importance of this cyclical and yes, admittedly repetitive process, was illustrated on our 4WW Roadmap so beautifully. We practice the practice! And then we keep practicing. Because. It is meaningful. And, it is transformative.
Cultures world over, have shared their Equinox and Solstice practices too. They date back centuries. You can explore here: https://www.almanac.com/content/ancient-sites-aligned-solstice-and-equinox.
We 4WW follow two practices each Equinox and Solstice:
First, we REFLECT and record 13 Quarterly Gratitudes
Paging through our daily/weekly/monthly entries, notes, images, gratitudes we’ve captured in our journals, and recalling events/moments/a-ha’s/victories/defeats, we each record 13 Gratitudes. These 13 are usually jotted down on a page at the end of each quarter though you can designate another page at the back of your journal.
For some of us, this gratitude gathering is a private exercise, without a record of a gratitude on the page, just a lovely reflective moment. Others like to write and share. Still others, may choose not to do this at all or only sometimes. As with all things 4WW, we do it our way, we make it our own, we change/adapt/respond to and respect one another’s choices, voices, and journey. We’re sharing this journalling journey with you and inviting you to make it authentically yours just as we do.
Second, we draw a 7-card Oracle Card spread
(Most often we 4WW use Jamie Sams’ Sacred Path Cards).
Using the PDF link or attachment, follow these quick steps:
1. Print the 7-card spread template + the guidelines for each card. spiral spread.pdf
2. Paste template in your journal. Some of us paste each at the 4 quarter points in our
journals while others create an Equinox/Solstice section in back.
3. In a gathering of journal mates or on your own, sit in a quiet, cleansed space and
follow the steps for drawing cards. (Refer to Oracle Cards).
4. Read each card prompt aloud one at a time, in circle (if with journal mates).
5. Draw each card in turn: Essence, Past, Present, Future, Possibilities, Blessings,
Synthesis.
6. Record each Card # and Name on. the template.
7. Record your insights, observations, plans, a-ha’s/ lessons learned (victories, defeats).
And that’s all there is to it. You’ve completed your first Equinox/Solstice spread!
Only one thing left: Celebrate! Together or on your own: savour your favourite food, sip wine/tea/water, dance like no one’s watching, sing your heart out, and cry and laugh! Celebrate every single tiny yet glorious victory, and every agonizing yet transformative, defeat. No matter how small or seemingly insignificant, they are life-changing and meaningful, important and essential learning on your journey.
Celebrate them. Celebrate you.
We will pop back in when the Summer Solstice is near to refresh this post.
Until then. Happy Spring Equinox!
Helpful information and links:
SEASONAL THEMES:
Vernal/Spring: awakening, beginning
Summer Solstice: bloom, achieve, victory
Autumnal Equinox: abundance/bounty
Winter Solstice: hope, reflection, plan, prepare
SOLSTICES:
Summer: longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere
Winter: shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere
EQUINOXES:
Vernal/Spring: day and night are equal lengths
Autumnal: day and night are equal lengths
From the National Weather Service:
For Equinox and Solstice dates for your area:
In the 4WW Tool Kit on our website, you will find what you need to follow our "spiral spread" use of Oracle/Tarot cards under the "Equinox and Solstice" tab.
Girl in the Moon created by Katie Flindall Moon House Art
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