 This morning, I woke up to the delightful sound of birdsong, and despite the inflexible mercury staunchly resisting an upward climb, I can feel spring in the air. The Vernal Equinox on March 20th brings us to a delicious point of balance. Here, we stand on the seasonal tipping point where the hours of light are equal to the hours of shadow.
This event happens both in the spring and again at the Autumnal Equinox on September 23rd as we officially moved into fall. For only two days of the year, the sun sits directly above the equator, with the Earth tilted neither toward, nor away from the Sun. For these two days only, we can witness a point of planetary equity. For me, the invitation at the time of Equinox, as we move into the new growth and rebirth of spring, is to honor both the light and the shadow within. We can recognize the Spring as a transition into a time of greater activity, connection with others, and of witnessing the seeds that were planted last year pushing through the warming Earth to greet the growing light. I might stop and ask myself what is new in my life that I need to tend to with gentle care? What were the dreams and hopes that were “planted” last year that will find their way to fruition this year, and what further ministrations are required for them to bloom fully? It is equally important to honor the necessary darkness and fallow time that allowed those seeds to rest beneath the frozen soil, gathering their resources and strength for the growth ahead. Here I might ask myself what has been the fertile soil that fed and protected the seed before it was time to grow toward the sun? If that soil is spent now, depleted of all its nutrients, can I release it and put my energy into the tender chute pushing through the ground? Can I look to the sorrows and losses of the past and find the learning that emerges? Can I see how the “dirt” I have been caked in has allowed me to grow in ways I might not have otherwise? My inquiry might expand to assess how I have been using my own light to be of service to others, or whether I may need the cool, quiet shadows to give me respite when I am overwhelmed. I invite you to consider how the tension between light and dark plays out in your life, both internally and out in the world. Do you fall into the trap of overvaluing the light over the dark? Or the dark over the light? The equinoxes remind us that both are needed if we are to become whole and continue on a toward wholeness. Blessings on your journey, Louisa
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