280 million people worldwide live with depression

Why do so many people suffer from depression these days? I often see depression as protective and “functional”. Its there to say – this isn’t working – things are imbalanced. We are doing too much. Death and “deep rest” need to be embraced a lot more as important parts of normal healthy life. Depression can offer much needed deep rest.

 The other night I was biking home in the dark, and a large bird nearly flew into my head… and then flew past me again a few minutes later. It was as though it was following me and flapping its wings like hands to say hello. At first it was a blur, but on focusing – I recognized this magical being, Owl. Owl and I are friends. And I feel supported when I remember Owl is around.

 Many cultures have an aversion to this creature of the night. With its connections to darkness and death, its sometimes seen as a bad omen.

At this time of Spring, we may not be feeling much death, but it is a time of transition. And transitions always involve death. Nothing can start, without something else ending. We can’t live without dying. After all, as a wise child once told me “we’re dying from the day we’re born”.

Hibernation is ending. As the days get longer, the night time is all the more precious. And slowing down and tapping into your intuition can become more difficult. It is easy in Spring to be filled with masculine Yang energy, and become much more active. But remind yourself to stop once in a while and spend some time in that feminine Yin energy, too. 

 On a more global scale, I reflect on the fact that Earth is getting hotter and we, humans, have become hyper-focused on our masculine, Yang natures. An obsession with productivity and efficiency. In hustle culture… and “Time is money” mentality…. Its easy to forget that we need to slow down, we need Yin, we need our feminine rest to balance our masculine do do do. We need to cool the heat. We literally need to “chill”.

And that is part of the magic of Owl. Asking us WHO WHO WHO are you? 

Underneath it all, in the dark, when you aren’t “doing” anything – who are you? 

Identity is important to feeling well. And its important to reconnect with yourself outside the hustle and bustle of everyday life, to remember you are a BEING, you are not here, like a robot, to be efficient and complete tasks. You are here to experience life. 

If you’re feeling anxious, stressed, depressed, overwhelmed, exhausted, carve out some space to remember WHO you are. You are not your job, you are not your clothes, you are not your hair, you are not what you DO… 

Do you remember who you are, underneath all the projections of WHAT is expected of you? 

Connecting with nature, animals, art, your creativity, even just resting in “boredom” outside of being productive can be a powerful reminder that you are here to BE, not to DO. Its in that precious BEING that your body heals itself. I often say, there is so much going on inside your cells, inside your body, when you finally stop doing things externally. All that energy can be used internally for healing. So stop doing so much, and whenever possible, be.