The year is broken into 4 seasons, spring, summer, autumn + winter. At the beginning of each season is either an equinox or a solstice. The biggest difference between the equinox + the solstice is that a solstice is the point during the Earth's orbit around the Sun at which the Sun is at its greatest distance north or south from the equator, while during an equinox, it's at the closest distance from the equator. This year, spring equinox falls on March 20th 2023, many time zones in the Northern Hemisphere welcome the first day of spring, celebrating with equal daylight to darkness, just like the autumn equinox.
This time of the year is considered sacred for the veil between our world and the spirit realm is the thinnest. Because of this and the weather conditions, it is the perfect time to plant seeds, the seeds that will bare us bounty come harvest time at the end of the summer and into autumn. It is also the perfect time to metaphorically plant the seeds of the dreams you called in during Pisces Season. The ground is fertile, and the time is now. Imagine those dreams and goals as tulips, lavender, wildflowers and crocus bulbs or radish, kale, peas and chard, now is the perfect time to break ground and bury those seeds, so come summer they are flourishing fully!
This is the time of year when you look around and see new life everywhere you go. Green buds, crisp air, dewy mornings. The freshness is certainly in the air, as well as hope and promise of brighter warmer days, days more conducive for working towards your goals and cleaning up for the abundance that flows in, come summertime.
During the spring we initiate new projects, like planting new ideas to flourish throughout the summer and rolling our sleeves up, getting our hands dirty and tending to our gardens and homes (both literally and metaphorically) to clean up our space, so that new abundance can grow.
As the awakening of spring teaches us how to initiate, grow and rebalance through intentional reflection + creation, I will be celebrating the equinox, the true new year and official astrological new year by making flower crowns and taking a stroll through nature, ending with an earth offering. I am sharing the following with you if you’d like to ring in the equinox in this way or maybe have it inspire your own idea of how you’d like to intentionally celebrate the new year.
Flower crowns
I bought flowers from a local floral shop. I chose baby’s breath because their stems are long, and I chose an assorted bouquet of wildflowers that have malleable stems and warm bright colors for spring. You can choose any color scheme that feels good to you. I’ve made flower crowns in all different ways, sometimes with wire to secure the flowers and sometimes without anything but the flowers themselves. This time I used hemp to tie and secure the baby’s breath into a horseshoe shape, then securing the ends with an elastic ribbon to create a supportive hold of the crown to your head. Afterwards I beaded a few inspired words for the new year (these were words I actually did choose for the new year in January, something I always do) and secured them to the crown with clear stretchy beading string. I lastly, added the flowers after snipping there long stems short and sticking them in the crevices strewn across the crown. Overall, I spent $20 on the flowers, the string and hemp I had already but you could find the clear beading string and the hemp in the $1 store. The flowers, 1 bouquet of baby’s breath and 1 bouquet of wildflowers, were able to make 6 adult sized crowns.
Earth offering
Creating an earth offering can look anyway that feels right to you. Many cultures have done this over many different lineages, and you can look up your lineage and see how it may have been done but again, in my opinion it is all about how you’d intentionally like to go about this that matters. When you give back your offering you can do so through any of the 4 elements. You can bury your offering, release it into the water, burn it or let it go in the wind. My rule of thumb is if it is being released into the water it should come from the water and that rule goes for all the offerings. So, for example if you’re going to offer the water a blessing a rock, a seashell, sea glass or driftwood are good choices, if you’re offering to the earth, leaves, acorns, rocks or flowers are good choices. I see it this way as not disturbing the ecosystem of the environment. For any element it is good that the offering or the vehicle supporting the intention should be of the earth and not a synthetic material (bio-degradable).
What do you offer?
Gratitude. In whatever way you can show it to the earth. This year I donated so that 2 trees can be planted through the arbor foundation. I also wrote out how the earth supported me this last year and how I felt about that and my many thanks. You can vow to create a garden or start one on the equinox by buying the seeds you will sow. You can go to the beach or body of water and clean the shores on your walk, picking up trash as you stroll. Afterwards you can throw a seashell back into the water with your written thanks as intentional appreciation. These are just some ideas there really is no right or wrong way to do it, just that you do what feels like a thank you.
More specifically this year we answered the question, "How has the earth supported me this past year? What gratitude do I have for the earth?" Writing our admiration on a small strip of rice paper (easily degradable) and then release it back to nature with a seashell. You can write on the shell if you'd like or whatever feels resonant.
Connecting to nature through submersion is a wonderful feeling, especially when moving in nature or creating in it. Sometimes I bring a sketchbook and draw or pull cards sitting among the wilderness. Sometimes I create a design with twigs, leaves, acorns, seashells, or whatever is around. Often, I’ll see rock cairns on my strolls where people have marked their presence. Your offering is between you and the earth and it’s meaning can stay that way too.
The equinox is a new beginning, a new half of the year when you can feel your connection to nature ignite again if you spent more time in doors. Reclaim your ties to the earth this spring in an intentional way. Share any ways you’ve connected to the earth; it’s always inspiring to hear stories and try out new earth rituals.
This was the first year of intentionally starting the year off with a ritual done with my daughter. I have done things like this in the past, flower crowns, nature walks, earth offerings alike and now my daughter who is only 1 ½ at the time of this post is joining in on the spring ceremony. These are memories and we are creating them intentionally each and every day. And just like major holidays these moments are memorable because of how present you feel while you’re creating them. It’s the peace that brings the pleasure.
n.joy the vernal equinox!
N
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