The glow of spring hides in the long shadows of winter.

It seems the sun is always in my face in winter, as its position in the southern sky stays low throughout the day. That creates long shadows during these shorter days. Those shadows capture my attention. When I walk into a room, I’m struck by the contrast of light and dark on the wall. In the woods, I marvel at the shapes of shadows created by the few leaves left hanging on the trees. On the ground, I trace the lines of limbs with my feet, walking the patterns made as the sun pierces through the trees.

The shadows of the leaves don’t look like leaves. They become something else entirely – patterns, abstracts, faces. Walking the shadowy lines of the limbs is like walking a labyrinth, a mesmerizing meditation. The long lines of tree trunks create a journey for the eyes.

Yet, in the long shadows of mid-winter, just under the surface of the ground, seeds are preparing to germinate. The first leaves of dainty spring ephemerals are biding their time, waiting to poke through the leaf litter. Buds are swelling on the spicebushes, azaleas, buckeyes, and redbuds. And we beg them to stay wrapped up for a while longer, until the chance of freeze passes. The weather has become a roller coaster – unseasonably warm for days between frosty and frozen mornings. A teaser of spring while winter still reigns.

Under the long stretch of shadows, spring is patiently waiting, preparing, incubating. And when it’s time, she will emerge slowly, energetically, magically. It’s a beautiful lesson for us humans to take to heart this time of year – to be patient, to prepare, to incubate ideas and projects, to walk in the slower pace of winter – so that when the time and conditions are right, when the womb of our creativity is full, we bring to life the magic within us. We share the energy stored and nurtured through the shadows of winter and light the world with our being.

What is making long shadows in your world? What are you seeing and feeling as the shadows of winter linger? What are they hiding from your view? Are you incubating something inside yourself? Are you patient or are you eager? What will you share in the thawing days of spring?