Spring Equinox and Expanding Our Consciousness

Thursday March 20th marks Equinox, the first day of Spring here in the Northern Hemisphere (and the first day of Autumn in the Southern Hemisphere). On the day of the Equinox, both hemispheres receive the same amounts of Sun, the same amounts of day and night, all across the globe. And for this fleeting moment, there is an energetic pause, perhaps a sacred alignment available to us all. The sacred pause is the regenerative rest we take during sleep, the invisible between the individual breaths we take, the space between the spaces, the center of the center, the dance that is balance. The Equinox is like a pause where everything stands still, in ease, in alignment, a very brief cyclical moment to reflect, integrate and regulate. And then, just on the other side, the pathway to an unfurling Spring appears before us.

Planet Earth is our mirror, our mother, our ancestor, the macro to our micro. What occurs for the Earth and her relationship to the cosmos is reflected onto our lives, into our bodies, into our cells. As the Earth experiences poignant astrological arrangements and occurrences, so too do we. This mirroring is happening always, it is in our DNA, even if we are not consciously aware of what is going on for Earth and the galaxy she calls home, we can’t miss these sacred moments, because they are us. 

That’s right, we can’t miss it. 

We are never separate from the wisdom of the Earth and stars. 

Our bodies know, our cells know, our subconscious minds know, our souls know the wisdom of the beautiful mystery. We hold the sacred patterns of the cycles, the tides, the revolutions, the creation, the truth, all of it, within our beings.

We can’t miss it, but we can become more conscious.

Each and every moment we are extended an invitation from a more expansive reality, an opening to go deeper, to live more consciously. We have the agency to accept this invitation to come home to ourselves, to come home to our Earth, to acknowledge this mirroring with presence, to greet the morning with presence, to wake up to the expansiveness and aliveness of our experience of consciousness. 

What doe these invitations look like? Well, events like Solstice and Equinoix or moon phases, but also more seemingly mundane occurrences like sunrises and sunsets, a majestic wind, a wise old tree that calls you in, a bird singing in the early morning, a little seedling pushing its way out of the dirt, the spark in a dear one’s eyes, a sensation in your body that longs to speak with you. 

There is always an opportunity to go a little deeper or to be a little more curious, to see parts of yourself echoing in the trees, in the animals, in the stars, in the wind and fire, and ask what the Earth may be teaching us.

And what do you think might happen if each one of us chose to hold the hand of mystery and wisdom just a little bit more often? Where could our curiosity and imaginings take us, if we saw ourselves in the Earth and saw the Earth within ourselves? I think perhaps somewhere quite beautiful. 

And, that’s pretty hopeful if you ask me, because when we come home to ourselves, we come home to our Earth, and the Earth comes back home to herself. Back and forth forever. The mirror goes both ways, my friends.

And so, with these somewhat heady musings in our hearts, let’s ground it back down! Here, we are invited to choose to celebrate the teachings of Equinox on March 20th!

The Spring Equinox is a fertile time to celebrate a precious sacred pause moment where there is a perfect balance of light and dark, and then greet this new season of growth, abundance, movement, creativity/creation, planting seeds after the cold winter, and inviting warmth and the longer days of sunlight back into our lives. 

Journal prompts for Spring Equinox:

What does balance mean to you? 

What does balance feel like in your body?

When was a time that you experienced the sacred pause of balance? 

What actions can you take to integrate a little more balance in your mind, body, spirit?

Try to imagine a future memory where you are held in the sacred pause of balance, write it down in detail, then close your eyes and allow your imagination to take you there. Take a few deep breaths and feel the the sensations of ease, alignment, peace associated with balance. 

What seeds of intention are you planting at this time? How will you nurture them?

How can you mirror back to the Earth that you “see” her, that you care, that you’re accepting the invitation to exist in a more expanded consciousness?

What’s one step you can take to become a more conscious steward of the Earth?

Some ideas on how to celebrate:

You might like to make a food or sweet treat that feels fresh and alive. I like to make a bright citrus olive oil cake or a fresh pesto with whatever you have access to (basil from the store, or chickweed and nettles from the yard for example). 

Make or acquire a bouquet of flowers to display in your space to honor the abundance to come. 

You can literally plant seeds into the earth, if you don’t have a garden space, there’s always room for micro greens in a windowsill ;) . 

Speak a blessing of thanks and care to the Earth and whisper hopes and imaginings of a more sustainable future. 

Get creative (as springtime is literally a season of alchemy and creation) by drawing/collaging/dancing/writing an ode to the bloom of Spring, whatever that means to you (oh, it would be really fun to do this with kids if you have littles in your life). 

Set intentions for the new season and think about how you’ll nurture them to ensure they’ll have the proper metaphorical sunlight, water, care, etc for them to thrive. 

Reflect on what may have come up for you in the gray or cold of Winter and see if you can give thanks for the teachings as you shift from the darkness to more Sun and a wider spectrum of colors coming to light/life.