Renewing Our Enthusiasm for Life at Spring Equinox
Dear Reader,
I hope this finds you well. I'm writing to you on a warm, sunny, springlike day, finding comfort and hope in a sky brimming with blue and birds singing their sweet song. The air is gentle and warm and beginning to smell of spring, soothing my senses and softening my heart.
How are you experiencing this time of year?
Where are you finding comfort and hope these days?
The beginning of spring
The end of March features a major seasonal turning point in the solar year. At March Equinox, the Sun enters the sign of Aries in the tropical zodiac, marking the midpoint between Winter Solstice and Summer Solstice and the start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. This year, the exact Spring/Aries Equinox falls on March 20, 4:06 a.m. Central European Time (convert to your local time).
Spring Equinox is the 'Waxing Half Moon' and 'sunrise' of the year when light and dark are balanced, with light on the rise. As the Sun crosses the equator heading into the Northern Hemisphere, we're stepping from the dark half into the light half of the year when the days are longer than the nights.
Each day, the Sun rises a little earlier and sets a little later, widening the window of daytime and building towards the peak of light in the annual cycle of the Sun around the time of Summer Solstice. From now until then, the Sun will climb higher in the sky each day, bringing warmer weather and sunnier skies.
Fresh starts and new beginnings
At a time when nature is springing to life, we celebrate and welcome the growing light of the Sun and the surge of fresh energy that comes with spring. The first flowers are blooming, tree buds are bursting, grass is growing, shoots are pushing through the soil, fruit trees are blossoming, birds are singing and nesting, and animals are mating and giving birth to their young.
As nature becomes more active, so do we. We're drawn outside, start our gardens, and watch the first seeds beginning to sprout. This is true both literally and symbolically. Spring Equinox signals to us that it's time to put our energy and enthusiasm into what wants to grow in us and through us this year and to take action on our dreams and desires.
Thank heaven there's a zodiac sign that doesn't know failure!
Aries, the Ram, is a cardinal fire sign and signifies a season of launching into action. Belonging to Mars, planet of energy and passion, Aries gets things going. Aries is here to help us make a fresh start and go for what we want without needing to have it all figured out or have the approval of others. It gives us the courage to take initiative, meet life head on, and set our own course in life.
Mars is our separating function, and during Aries season, we're supported to leave winter behind for good and to begin again. Aries is the sign of beginner's mind and exudes a young, youthful energy. As the first sign of the zodiac, Aries likes to go first, and Aries season signifies the birth of a new astrological year when what we've been dreaming up during Pisces season is starting to take shape.
We're invited to let go of wounds of the past and not look back, to embrace uncertainty and not knowing with an adventurous spirit and lightness in our hearts, to take the risk of being ourselves and putting ourselves out there without hesitation, to seek new, fresh experiences, and get a head start on those projects that light a fire in our hearts.
Are you ready to enter the portal of spring?
How are you arriving in the spring?
What needs balancing in your life?
What are you getting excited about?
What feels enlivening to you?
What wants to grow this year?
I hope you take some of the questions in this post on your walk or into your journal, your dreamtime, or any other kind of creative or contemplative practice, either solo or with others. I hope they tickle you and help you weave yourself deeper into the mystery of spring.
What this time of year is good for:
Restoring balance, following curiosity and excitement, heading outside and enjoying signs of spring, walking barefoot, moving the body, planting, sowing seeds, starting a garden, fertility rituals, egg painting, rituals of renewal and rebirth, tending to your nest, spring cleaning, energy clearing, ritual sweeping, ritual fires, fresh beginnings, new projects
Taking action on your heart's desires
This year's Spring Equinox features a supportive Sun-Pluto sextile, signifying a season of intense desire and drive to forge ahead and explore new directions. With the Sun in Aries and Pluto in Aquarius, we can draw inspiration and energy from our vision for the future.
Pluto, planet of the underworld, is connected to our unconscious, or shadow. With the Sun's friendly aspect to Pluto, we're more likely to willingly explore our shadow material and to find a hidden treasure, or shadow gold. Pluto is a planet of healing the past, and the Sun-Pluto sextile offers us support to let go of old hurts or wounds so that we can move into the new year with more of our radiance present.
The Sun-Jupiter field can speak of inspiring enthusiasm and generosity, but we have to be careful not to go too far or overextend ourselves. The Sun-Uranus field enlivens and excites us, but it can also take us by surprise and we might do well to stay as openminded and flexible as possible.
The Moon in Leo is forming a harmonious trine to the Sun, bringing ease of flow to the Sun's impulse for renewal and excitement in Aries. Being opposite Pluto, the Moon is picking up on the Sun-Pluto conversation and helping to bring it down into our daily lives. In Leo, the Moon stresses the importance of the heart in the process of envisioning the future.
Mars, being the ruler of Aries, is the presiding deity of this Equinox. Mars in Aquarius is separating from a dynamic square to Uranus, which went exact on March 9 and was in effect around March 5–14. The Mars-Uranus field speaks of our impulse for freedom, independence, and innovation and can spark sudden breakdowns and breakthroughs.
Uranus, planet of awakening, gets us out of a rut, shakes things up, and can catch us by surprise. It can help us break away from anything that's holding us back or keeping us stuck. Being part of the Equinox chart, whatever the Mars-Uranus square has sparked for us is likely to be carried over into spring.
The Sun at 0 degrees Aries is always in the bounds of Jupiter. At this Equinox, the Moon is in Jupiter's bounds as well, giving Jupiter more significance. Jupiter is with Uranus in Taurus, offering us opportunities to free ourselves from past limitations. The next applying aspect of the Moon is a wide square with Jupiter, suggesting it might take some time, and effort, to get there.
Horoscope for Spring Equinox on March 20, 2024 at 4:06 a.m. CET
The Sun-Pluto and Mars-Uranus fields ask:
What are you envisioning for the future?
What is your heart telling you?
What old hurt or wound is ready to be let go of?
What are you finding in its place?
What is breaking free or breaking through in your life?
Until next time…
I very much look forward to writing to you again around the time of Taurus/Spring Cross-Quarter, which marks the height of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and heralds a time of fertility and abundance. It falls on May 5, 2:11 a.m. Central European Time this year (convert to your local time).
In the meantime, I'm wishing you a beautiful beginning of spring wherever you are. May you be blessed with enthusiasm, courage, and joy.