The Vernal Equinox is today, ushering in Spring, Aries season, fresh beginnings, longer days and nature’s renewal. Equinoxes happen twice a year, and it’s the only time when the sun rises due east and sets due west all across the globe! According to astrology, when the Sun crosses into Aries the “New Year” starts and a fresh trip around the wheel begins. Are your resolutions from January not quite where you want them to be? Get ready to crush them with Aries fire under our arse! Aries demands action for the plans and goals you cooked up while the wind and snow swirled. You’ll get a chance to re-work, re-think and re-vise the plans when Mercury goes retrograde from 3/22 – 4/15. No worries, this is a good thing; the fine-tuning will help adjust your goals for success!
Spring marks the time of year when Nature’s cycle of life, death, rebirth and resurrection is joyfully shown to us through the colorful blooming flowers, budding trees, birthing critters, and perennial plants growing new green life. In many cultures, eggs are seen as a symbol of fertility and new life, and decorated eggs and egg hunts have been part of spring celebrations for centuries. Ancient peoples celebrated the Spring Equinox with festivals honoring the pagan goddess Ostara (Germanic), also known as Eostre (Saxon), Oestre or Eastre. (Fun fact: the word “estrogen” comes from the same root word). The Goddess Ostara is associated with eggs as well as the hare, also a potent symbol of fertility due to its libidinous nature, plus, female rabbits can conceive a second litter of offspring while still pregnant with the first (oh my). In modern times, the randy hare is now the wholesome Easter Bunny that brings sweet treats to the children. Another fun fact: Ostara is calculated by the sun, and Easter is calculated by the moon, so Easter always occurs on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox.
There are many ancient sites that mark the equinoxes (and solstices). The Great Sphinx of Egypt faces the rising sun at the Spring Equinox. Another famous ancient site for a current Spring Equinox celebration is at Chichen Itza in Mexico. The large pyramid was built by the Mayans around A.D. 1000. On the Vernal Equinox, the sunlight looks like a huge snake slithering down the steps. The Mayans called this day “the return of the Sun serpent”.
11 Ideas to Celebrate the Equinox and the Season of Spring:
- Go outdoors. Breathe. Repeat.
- Spring clean the whole house…
- …or maybe just wash the front door with warm water mixed with peppermint essential oil. This will refresh the energy.
- Buy (or pick) some flowers and display in a pretty vase.
- Meditate at sunrise.
- If you live near Annapolis, Maryland, celebrate the equinox with boating enthusiasts in the “Burning of the Socks” festival (being held on Sat 3/24 this year). Burn your socks to welcome the warmer weather and eat oysters!
- Wear pastel clothing or jewelry ~ lovely pale yellows, baby blues, pinks and spring greens!
- Fly a kite.
- Pack a picnic for the park.
- Play miniature golf.
- Make Hot Cross Buns (p.s. the cross of dough on top represents the balance between light and dark that occurs at the equinox).
One more thing to do: participate in our Spring Sale for incredible savings on mineral specimens, rare crystals, jewelry and hand made goodies that you’ve had your eye on! Sale starts Thursday March 22-29 at our Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/EarthandSkyAlchemy
Happy Spring Blessings to you!
I’m glad you enjoyed the article, Dayan! Thank you for reading, and thanks for sharing this post on Facebook, really appreciate you taking the time to do so 🙂