Friday March 20 marked several astrological events, all of which gave power to this year's Spring Equinox. Not only was it the Equinox, when day and night are balanced, marking the shift into a new season and an acceleration towards the light in this waxing year, it was also a SuperMoon and a Solar eclipse. While the eclipse was not visible in most of the Americas, the timing and power of these events were felt, subtly and not so subtly, throughout the world.
Although many Pagans mark the “new year” on Samhain or Yule, for many ancient cultures the New Year started in Spring. For while the work of the new year may be seeded or dreamed of in the dark of Winter, it is now that this new life becomes evident. Just as the baby rabbits born weeks ago are starting to come out and explore, just as the new buds that have been plumping up for weeks are starting to pop, maybe we are aware of something stirring inside ourselves.
What part of you feels restless and itching to go? What part of you wants to MOVE?
The last dreamy tides of Sun in Pisces have receded, taking the last of Winter's snow and ice with them. The creeks and rivers around my home are swollen with this water, and the trees and plants are soaking it up and just about to burst into a riot of green. In my garden new bulbs are pushing through the mulch, struggling to get all the Sun they can. And I feel this drive in me as well, a call to get into the garden and get dirty, a push towards being outside, getting in the dirt, getting active. More than that, several projects and desires that were on the edge of my conscious, are now front and center. They want love and attention, just like the newly sprouted hyacinths want water and Sun. The promise of this year's adventures, of things not even dreamed of yet, is exciting. In this season all things seem possible.
On the Spring Equinox, the Sun moves in to Aries, the fiery cardinal sign ruled by Mars, and pours light and energy on a tender Earth. Perhaps over the past few days you have felt it too: a snap of physical and mental energy that invigorates you, a flash of hopeful optimism, a moment of silly, childlike joy. At the Spring Equinox we wake up from our Winter's dreaming into the full radiance of our lives. We have let go of so much weight and worry and grief in the dark, and we walk nearly naked into the new season, armed only with our core selves. Aries is about identity, action and passion. Who are we? What do we love? What do we want to create, to support and foster? What inspires our passion, or channels positively our anger? This Equinox, find your radiance and let it shine. Blessed be!