Sacred April: Finding Unity, Renewal and Hope
It seems that I’ve been reading everywhere that April is the cruelest month. I’m not sure why, as I’ve always found it to be a sacred month. For me it’s always been a time to appreciate renewal and life. This year it feels especially sacred.
This April, for the first time in 30 years, Muslims, Jews, Christians, Sikhs, Baha’is, Hindus, Buddhists and Indigenous nations celebrate Ramadan, Passover, Easter, Vaisakhi, Mahavir Jayanti, Theravada New Year and the Gathering of Nations at the same time.
Despite incredibly diverse traditions (some are feasts and some are fasts), all of these festivals share something in common. In a time of division, war, fear, and a lot of upheaval, these major world religions are all celebrating important festivals of peace, unity, renewal and hope.
Spring Renewal
As I mentioned above, I already find April to be a sacred month. Here in the northern hemisphere, April is the height of Spring. I have a beautiful spring garden full of hyacinths, daffodils, tulips and more, and it’s truly beautiful. Every day I go out to see what has bloomed next, and each time I find myself in awe of the beauty and profusion of nature. It reminds me of the sacredness of the earth, something we celebrate together this Earth Day. April is also the anniversary of my ordination to ministry. It was a significant event in my personal spiritual life, and it also put me on the path (unknowingly) to the healing and teaching work I do now.
This April is especially sacred to me for another reason as well. You may have heard of the old adage: As above, so below. If so, it might be no surprise that astrologically, April also brought in a once-in-a-lifetime astrological sacred event: the meeting (conjunction in astrological terms) of Jupiter and Neptune in the sign of Pisces. The face-to-face meeting (exact conjunction) was April 12, but they are still visiting with each other. What’s more, the sacred energy their meeting brings is active and available to us through the middle of May.
A Sacred Meeting in the Stars
What makes this meeting so sacred? In their positive expressions or archetypal energies, Neptune and Pisces work deeply with spirituality and devotion. Both connect you to something greater than yourself. They both help you want to be of service to others. They remind us that we are all connected. More than that, they foster and support unconditional love.
When you add Jupiter into the mix, something magical happens. Jupiter expands whatever it meets. It is visionary, future-oriented, and all about creativity and dreaming big. Jupiter is also the philosopher, teacher and spiritual practitioner. It can magnify that sense of devotion, spirituality, unconditional love, and support unity consciousness.
There’s Always Hope
What these religious festivals and astrological events have in common is the shared emphasis on hope, renewal, unity, service and love. In a topsy turvy world, where so much is unraveling and tumultuous, both the coming together of 5 world religions and this astrological event remind us of the larger picture.
Fear and turmoil do not have the last say. Each of these events reminds us that something much larger is at work. And that also gives us something we can hold onto. They also remind us that we are all one in a very real sense – we are all part of one dynamic web. Last, but not least, co-occurrence of all of these can help us celebrate unity or solidarity in the midst of incredible diversity.
Deepen Your Practices
I have talked a lot about the one-minute heart coherence practice from the Heart Math Institute that can bring you back to center and help all your cells to work together. Based on decades of scientific research, the Heart Math Institute has shown how this one-minute practice can bring you out of anxiety, boost your immune system, and bring all your systems, and each cell of the body, into coherence with every other cell or system in your body.
What you may not know is that there is a global coherence practice that takes only a minute or two which can help the planet as well. Gregg Braden and the Director of Research of the Heart Math Institute, Rollin McCraty, PhD, talk together about the role of global coherence for our planet and for the earth in this video.
At my last attunement and community healing session (on April 10th, for the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction), as part of our healing work, we sang this song together: “Spirit of Peace, to your cause we give our strength. That love may reign and war may cease, Mir, Mur-u, Mir.” (Mir = Russian for earth, for peace.). Here is a post with a beautiful video of this song as an impromptu dance during the Parliament of World Religions in Toronto.
Unity Connects Us All
This earth day may you find and embrace the sacredness of this month of April. May all of these events happening at once help you remember the unity that underlies all of our diversity. May you truly feel the interconnectedness of all sentient beings, not just humans, but animals, plants, even the rocks.
If you want to make a difference and help the earth, gather a group to sing this song together. You might also want to investigate the Global CoherenceTM Initiative, and download the free global coherence app from the Heart Math Institute to connect regularly with others who are committed to bringing in coherence and unity for each individual, the world, and the earth.
PS: Since the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction energies remain active through mid-May, I am offering the April attunement and healing session through May 11. Several people who were present have told me multiple times that this event was transformative. I keep hearing “Wow, that was powerful!” from others. How it works: when you purchase the session, I will do the work necessary for you to receive the full session, including all the attunements. All you need to do is listen or watch to receive all of it.
