The Vernal Equinox - Rites of Spring

March 20th is a significant time in the seasonal cyclic year. The Vernal Equinox is upon us. Translated it means vernal=green and equinox =equal. On this day, the daytime and nighttime are equal in length, after which the daylight begins to increase. This is observed seasonally as the first day of spring. Symbolically this represents the rebirthing of life in the northern hemisphere.


The vernal equinox is a point in space and time *. The sun appears to cross the equator on a path from south to north and from our northern hemispheric perspective the sun appears higher in our sky. The sun’s rays become perpendicular resulting in longer days and a higher concentration of solar energy on the earth’s surface with the seeds of life beginning to spring forth. Throughout history this crossing was welcomed, marked and celebrated.


Astrology recognized this as significant and chose this as The First Point of Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, opening the door to the astrological mandala, the day the wheels of the zodiac are set in motion.


In Greek mythology spring was celebrated through the myth of the return of Persephone from the dark underworld of Hades and reuniting with her mother Demeter bringing green life to the Earth.
Easter is celebrated always on the first Sun-day after the full moon, following the equinox.


The Jewish holiday of Pass-over is celebrated on the first full moon after the equinox .
The Persian New Year Nawruz and Holi the Hindu festival of colors are celebrated on the equinox.
All earth spiritual traditions like the Goddess, Celtic, Wicca and Pagan always recognized the significance of this conjunction and to this day enact rituals to celebrate this.
A new annual holiday, Earth day has been celebrated on March 21st since 1970.


Some aboriginal peoples such as the Crow people of Montana observed the stars and constellations to mark the change of seasons. The disappearance of the brightest star of the winter skies, Sirius indicated spring, and the constellation Bear Above’s (Hercules) appearance marked the time for gathering young eagles feathers.


This time of initiation into the birthing process offers potent opportunities.
If it is in your heart and mind to bring healing to yourself, to the earth and all her inhabitance then this is a great opportunity to reclaim connection, reverence and relatedness through attunement and ritual either within your tradition, or in your own personal way.


An intention towards starting a new cycle of creativity, bringing forth new life, light and balance, can be observed and practiced with appreciation and gratitude for the possibilities of this new cycle.


We can also attune to our inner life and imagine the earth as our bodies and the sun as our hearts, recognizing that all our energy and life force is ultimately coming from the sun through the food we eat and that following the sun’s path is like following our hearts desires.


Being sensually present and aware of our changing environment is an enlivening experience, as if being captured by the spell of the sensuous. Any new bud or green leaf that can be observed, touched, smelled and later tasted, a warm wind or a glorious spring shower that brings May flowers…


As an astrologer I use the rich symbolic language of astrology to inspire me. This is the first of twelve cyclic phases of transformations to engaged and embody. I reflect on the elemental wisdom encoded within the sign of Aries and the red planet Mars, both of the fire element. I think of human emotions and actions characterized by this element: intense, radiant, dramatic and active. Energetically it is a cardinal sign, which suggests forward moving energy, an urge within to be motivated.


The sign of Aries symbolizes passing through the birth canal and surviving it, then being fired up to live life to the fullest, rising up to life’s challenges, acting from one’s center with passion and courage.
Mars represents an emergent erotic vitality, an awakener of forces desiring to grow, bloom and give the fruits of their creativity. Of course everyone’s birth chart has more insight to this kind of action (look for Aries and Mars in the chart, their location and aspects.)


So, this potent moment in time and space has much to offer us. Using traditional rituals or creating our own, we can be active participants in welcoming this new cycle of life. To fully embrace this we need to cultivate our own fierce and unique natural beauty and rededicate ourselves to heart felt initiatives.

Drawing from the rich symbolism of this event and responding with a warm, open and generous heart we can take actions that help preserve all life on earth, work towards equality in our human communities and cultivate a brighter, warmer, more loving and joyous vision of the future.

ALL BLESSINGS, ALL LOVE , ALL OF US.

*This is a spatial conjunction of the ecliptic (the path of the earth and planets orbiting the sun *), and the celestial equator (the plane of the earth’s rotation projected onto the celestial sphere), which take place twice a year at a specific time around March 20th and September 20th

March 19th 2005