Sandwiched in between Saint Patrick's Day and a fat full moon, this year the Vernal or Spring Equinox occurs in the Northern Hemisphere on March 19^th.   As always, the Spring Equinox marks the halfway point between the depths of winter and the heights of summer. This is the day the sun crosses the equator moving northward, and is one of only two days a year when the daylight and the darkness are the most equal in length. In fact, the word we use for these moments  - equinox - comes from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night) or "equal night."

Like the solstices, the equinoxes are a time of tremendous release. During the periods in between the solstices and the equinoxes, productive and creative energies gradually build, much like steam building in a tea kettle. By the time the solstices and equinoxes roll around something has just got to give. While these moments are many things, the most important is that they are a time of fuller - sometimes even fullest - expression. This is not a time to be a repressed wallflower.

Unlike the retrogrades, the solstices and the equinoxes provide moments of clarity. Though they may be brief, these are moments when you can sort of get a glimpse of where the road is going (always a plus). It is a time when you can get a taste of what lies ahead and what is to come:  the good and the bad, the glorious and the wretched. And if the information determines that they are warranted, you can make course corrections.

In ancient times, the Spring Equinox was considered to be the time when you finished preparing the fields for planting and then sowed the seeds for the season. Ceremonies were held to ensure the crops were blessed, as well as to court the strengthening power of the Sun.  Also central was the theme of growing the abundance of the people, their farms, and their communities. Key to this was taking appropriate actions on both the material and the spiritual levels as the new planting cycle was begun.

As we are no longer primarily an agrarian society, the seeds we are now planting may be more figurative than literal. But the same rules still apply. Be grateful for what you have, be clear about what you want to harvest in the fall, plant the right seeds, and tend to them lovingly and appropriately. And look to the energy of the stars for guidance.

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