One of the four solar festivals celebrated each year is the Vernal Equinox or Spring Equinox. The word equinox, translated from Latin, is said to mean "equal night." At the Vernal Equinox, the sun is vertically above the equator. This causes day and night to be just about equal for our whole planet.
People have celebrated the Vernal Equinox for centuries. One theory is that it started as a celebration by the ancient Germanic tribes to honor their Spring Lunar goddess Eostre and the name was later changed to Easter.
The Vernal Equinox marks the arrival of Spring. Nature starts to reawaken. This is an especially good time to ground yourself in nature. It is also a perfect time to cleanse your space. Don't forget your office also.
Many of us older folks will remember being dragged into our parents' ritual of spring cleaning at this time of year. My own mother would take every dish and pot out of every cabinet to wash, dry, and then put back in the cabinets. Whatever silver items we had were to be meticulously polished and the few pieces of crystal had to be carefully washed, dried, and put back in place. I don't think my parents knew anything about equinoxes, but the ritual was deeply ingrained in them somehow.
The equinox is a good time to sage or burn other cleansing incense and also a good time to burn aromatherapy oils, such as rose oil, lavender oil mint or jasmine oil. The equinox is also the perfect time to recharge your crystals.
At the Vernal Equinox, all the influences on planet Earth are said to be in a state of equilibrium. Everything is thought to be in a state of balance. What a wonderful thought!
Take some time this Vernal Equinox and try to bring yourself into that balance as well.
Lyn Trotman, current President of the New York Theosophical Society and manager of Quest Bookshop NYC.