The Greening Power of Spring that makes both plants and us blossom.
I went to a brilliant lecture by Professor June Boyce-Tillman on the medieval mystic, visionary, writer, composer and abbess, Hildegard von Bingen. One idea June introduced from Hildegard was “viridissima” literally translated from Latin to English as very green, meaning greening power. It got me thinking about what form this energising greening power might take in us, the power of Spring and the “blossoming” that happens inside and out. What is it that makes us feel alive, that tells us we are greening, that we are blossoming? And how do we nurture it…
I asked around friends and family and the answers I received included “good friends, food, conversation, music, a good book, falling in love, the sun on our face, swimming in the sea, climbing a mountain, the love of a friend, child, lover, mother, father, writing a poem, dancing, going to a soulful art exhibition or movie…” and the list goes on. The way people glow as they describe such personal sensations makes you see their “viridissima.” For everyone, what triggers their “viridissima” is different and that’s what makes us unique. What’s interesting is that even if people are doing something on their own, they seem to describe an experience of being in relationship and deep contact with something or someone else.
For me, one way I feel this viridissima is when I feel fully immersed in painting or writing, when I feel connected in with something bigger than me, this creative force and flow around me. My hunch is that this greening power cannot last forever as it’s part of a bigger season and cycle, that it must change form and turn into something else. Still, it’s important to know what it is that makes us feel so alive, as it might just help us navigate the more stormy seasons and the times when we feel anything but “viridissima.”
Arts psychotherapy & creative retreats 
