Blessed Spring Equinox loved one!

Here in the Northern Hemisphere we are welcoming in the blossoming buds and buzzing bees of Spring. For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, may your journey into Autumn be nourishing on all levels.

Here are a few beautiful facts about Equinox to put you deeper in touch with the auspicious specialness of this day…

• Equinox means “equal night” — equal “equi” and night “nox” in Latin due to the fact that daytime and nighttime are of equal length (12 hours and 12 hours) on this day. After this day, we begin to experience more sun or less sun during the days, depending upon the season. This is the axis point of the seasons.

• Thus this is a time for aligning deeper with the cycles of nature, while allowing those cycle to be reflected in our own bodies and minds. We can take this day to recognize the new season of life we are being ushered into. For Spring, we can bring in fresh flowers and plant new seeds. For Autumn, we can gather around a fire and harvest the food of our seeds.

• Equinox occurs twice per year, in the Spring and Autumn, when our planet’s celestial equator aligns directly with our Sun. This is a beautiful bow of honor between Earth and Sun that many of our ancient ancestors celebrated in various ways.

• Our Mayan ancestors built El Castillo pyramid at Chichen Itza to align perfectly with Equinox. As the Sun sets on these afternoons, a shadow of serpent god Kukulkan descends down the north stairway. This shadow image is created by the way the Sun aligns on the pyramid’s nine platforms, descending on into the serpent’s head at the bottom. It’s worth a watch of the spectacle here!

• Until around the 18th century, this was a time that much of Europe marked as the astrological new year. Our European ancestors built large stone circles to align with the dance of Earth and Sun, signaling both Equinox and Solstice. Stonehenge is a famous one you have likely heard of. These are spaces of profound ritual and hold the memory of our ancestors prayers.

• Equinox is the portal of struggle between darkness and light, death and life, hibernation and celebration. Spring Equinox in particular is representative of new life and the returning of the light, fresh beginnings, birth, illuminated paths and the planting of seeds.

• Ultimately, this is a mark in time to celebrate the cycles of Mother Earth and her abundance, as well as the support of our close celestial bodies. This is a time to honor our ancestors, our community, our own bodies, and all the ways that the contrast of life creates a dynamic experience of being you.

• May you honor this day in simple ways, giving thanks for the preciousness of being alive.