It’s kind of hard to believe that it is nearly March already. We have nearly two months in the bag and the warming of Spring is in the air. I went for a walk earlier today and despite the fact that it is still February in Chicago, I had my jacket open and was almost too warm to keep it on. This winter has been wonderfully mild and despite what Punxsatawny Phil or the Cailleach had to say, we seem to be having a pretty mild entry into spring as well. I have to say, if this is going to be the end of the world year, it’s starting out really nicely.

This time of year often gets me thinking and planning for the upcoming months and what I want to do outside once the weather is consistently warm. The past few years have been pretty turbulent and busy as a lot of new energies have come into my life and I have been working with trying to incorporate them into my understanding and daily life. For the first time in a while, I am in a place where the idea of planning events, trips and activities more than a week or two out seems like a real possibility. There are a host of activities that come around each year that grab my interest and attention and yet I only end up making it to such a small number of them each year. In the realm of metaphysical and spiritual activities, I have set a goal for myself to make it to at least two new events this season. I plan to hit my favorites as well but I really feel like it is time to branch out a bit and try some new things. As I am plotting out my activities, there are a few that have jumped out already as must attend events. In no particular order, these are a few of the things I have on my upcoming agenda.

Next weekend brings the coming of one of my favorite local events. The Body, Mind, Spirit Expo will be arriving back in the Chicago area for its annual spring show. This show brings with it many of the best local and regional metaphysical practitioners, vendors and speakers. The weekend’s activities will include speakers discussing topics from astrology to healing to past life regression and more. There are typically at least 100 different vendors as well selling all sorts of spiritual, divinatory, healing and wellness goods. With the wife and I being crystal junkies, it is always a treat to see the plethora of rock vendors and the beautiful specimens that they brought with them. This is also a time for us to check out different methods of healing and energy work that we may not have experienced before and to get a check up on our auras. This last part is always one of my favorite aspects of the show. If you’ve never had your aura imaged, it is really cool! At least once a year, I like to get mine done just to see what changes may have come with the shifts in my life and spiritual path. Oddly enough, though most aura pictures I have seen shift fairly regularly for people over time, mine has been eerily consistent since I started getting it imaged almost 3 years ago. Every time, deep red all over. We’ll see if any of the work I have been doing has had any effect on it this year.

I also recently received the invitation for this year’s Greater Chicagoland Pagan Pride festival in September. I went to this for the first time last year and had a really good time. Though much smaller than the BMSE, there were still a lot of great vendors and speakers that were all focused on the Pagan lifestyle and religious practice. This year, since I found out about it more than a month beforehand, I have decided to submit an application to be a vendor as well. As I am growing in my own practice, I want to be able to share and participate in these events to help them grow and in turn help me understand the culture I am exploring.