February 2 has had many names in the history of the northern European and then North American peoples, most lately, “Groundhog Day”, before that, “Candlemas” and before that a day honoring the nature goddess.  It is one of the oldest of the special days we celebrate, and in all of its incarnations, it is a holiday which takes its cues from the sun…now exactly 1/8^th of its way around the cycle of the year, and nature, which is moving inexorably towards Spring.   It’s a good time to notice the part that the natural world plays in our spiritual lives.