Finding balance in the spring archetype

It is now officially springtime. The flowers are blooming. The days are longer. There is so much symbolism during this time. Historically and archetypally, spring has been connected with rebirth, creativity, hope, and potential. This is the time that Persephone returns to Earth from the underworld. That her mother, the goddess Demeter, helps the crops grow abundantly. This is the time that we feel the warmth, light, and life emerging around us. 

This newfound spring in 2025 can feel difficult though. Despite the sunlight and blooming flowers, there feels like darkness surrounding us. These are difficult times. You might feel overwhelmed by the state of the world, heartbroken by all the pain that we hear about on a daily basis, or just exhausted from your own internal journey of self-judgment, shame, and fear. 

This spring is a time that we can deeply honor and reflect on these feelings. To hold the sadness, the grief, the anger and also connect with hope, healing, and transformation. It can be helpful to explore how we process difficult emotions. Do you shut them down? Judge them? Get caught up in them? These are all natural human reactions. It’s hard to hurt, to feel fear, to feel anger. By slowly bringing these emotions to awareness and allowing ourselves to feel and to express them through practices like creativity, movement, or journaling, we can get unstuck. We can recognize that difficult feelings actually can be a catalyst for transformation. They help us find out truth, our boundaries, and our inner knowing. 

When we hold the darkness and the pain, we can also start to feel the light, the joy, and rebirth. Like Persephone, we hold both. To feel whole we need the pleasure, vitality, and hope to balance the fear, the hurt, and the grief. 

Some reflection questions to connect with the spring archetype:

What makes you feel alive? Feel connected with your vitality?

What brings your pleasure?

How do you process difficult emotions? What practices would support you in this?

Pleasure, vitality, and joy often take backseat to the more difficult emotions both in therapy and in our daily lives. Finding a path towards making space for all of these parts of ourselves can be healing, grounding, and nourishing. The archetypes connected with springtime help to remind us that, despite the darkness, there is life, growth, and renewal.