During this time of the year it would be easier to stop the earth from spinning than to stop the surge of new life being awakened within her.

Seeds buried in the earth are broken apart from the inside out, made to release their delicate shoots of grasses, herbs, and flowers that reach for the light above them. And, as if by magic, along the sides of seemingly lifeless branches appear silver-green buds of baby leaves that stretch out to unfold themselves like banners in the sun.

Life is beginning again everywhere, and so can we, if we are willing.

The power of spring lends us the fresh forces we need to break through and to let go of old patterns. During this time of the year, the possibility of making a brand new beginning in life is never greater. Why is this true? Because spring also dawns within us, and if we will align ourselves with the power of its presence, then the unstoppable principle of rebirth itself will work for us.

How can we harness this planetary power for our own good? Here are just a few of the many ways we can work with spring to start a new life for ourselves:

All past wishes lying dormant within us -- to outgrow old limitations -- should be brought out into the light of our longing to transform them and be left there to bathe in our need to be free. Whatever conditions in life may have once overcome us should be re-challenged now, regardless of past results.

And, as spring marks the return of a celestial light that gradually grows greater than the darkness it has come to dismiss, so is this the best time to stand up and start walking through whatever frightens us.

We should work to detect and detach ourselves from old heartaches, keeping our eye on emerging possibilities, instead of looking back at lost opportunities. By acting in this way -- as though we are free -- we find that what once held us captive no longer has the power to keep us down. We succeed because we have becomes partners with the light of Real Life.

Lastly, spring is a time of great and natural tension for all living creatures on earth. Nature sows into every last one of her children an urgency to seek out their "other" and to procreate in order to ensure the continuity of their species.

Each spring great forces are released to work upon and within us. Life is literally seeking itself through us, asking us to open ourselves and receive what will renew us. But, if we would receive this new life, with all its promise, then we must be willing to sacrifice within us whatever stands in its way. We can only be made as new as we are willing to let go of who we have been, and springtime not only awakens this need within us, but it also grants us the possibility of its realization.

(Excerpted from "365 Days to Let Go," pp. 98-100)

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The following key lessons are taken from "365 Days to Let Go." Use their insights to help align yourself with the unstoppable principle of rebirth:

The true path to greatness is found in our willingness to walk toward, and then through, whatever may be seen in that moment as being greater than ourselves. (May 3)

The seed of greatness is sown in an instant, but in this world of ours, everything great takes time to grow. Patience, mingled with persistence, is the special nutriment that sustains all things great. Therefore, should we wish to win the great life, we need only add equal measures of quiet watchfulness to our spiritual willingness and a great goodness cannot help but flourish within us. (May 14)

The mastery of anything, including ourselves, begins with the faith that we are not here on earth to be perfected according to an image we hold of ourselves, but rather, to allow perfection to work its way upon us, so that only the awareness of something greater than ourselves can draw us into a greatness beyond ourselves, if we will it so. (May 22)