Equinox Blessings March 2018

Wishing everyone much love and magic as the seasonal Wheel of the Year turns again. In the southern hemisphere we’ll be celebrating the enchanted festival of Mabon, the autumn equinox, on March 21, while those in the north will be honouring Ostara, the spring equinox, on March 20.

Mabon : Autumn Equinox : Harvest

The autumn equinox falls around March 20 or 21 in the southern hemisphere – in 2018 it falls on March 21 – and September 22 or 23 in the northern hemisphere. It’s characterised by the length of day and night being equal as the sun travels across the Equator to the other hemisphere, and is the moment of balance in nature and within – a time of harmony, joy and calm.

The autumn equinox, also known as Mabon, Alban Elued (light of the water), Harvest Home, Feast of Avalon, Festival of the Vine and Cornucopia, marks the middle of autumn. It’s a time of crisp, chilly mornings, pale skies and a world aflame with colour as the trees turn a hundred shades of red-orange-yellow-gold-brown. Daylight savings ends, the weather becomes cooler and things in nature slow down, turn inward and begin to wither. The leaves start to fall – hence the American reference to the season as “fall” – and farmers commence the second harvest, also known as the green or wild harvest, when fruits, vegetables and any remaining crops are brought in from the fields.

Energetically it’s a season of withdrawal, of being alone to meditate, recharge, reassess and ponder where you’re at in life. The energy of the earth retreats and goes within, as does your personal power, but from this experience you’ll emerge with immense strength and new wisdom. This is the time of balance – the world is poised between summer and winter, and day and night are equal, which is reflected in each of us. You can ensure personal balance by acknowledging and integrating all the parts of your self and beginning to look within. It is also about ensuring harmony in your life by maintaining your emotional and physical health. Consider whether you’re spending enough time relaxing, expressing your spirituality, being with friends and on your own. Are you getting enough sleep, exercise, nutrition or down time? Your physical wellbeing is crucial to your emotional and spiritual health, which in turn affects your vitality and energy levels. While the energies of the earth are in alignment, it’s a good time to weigh up how balanced you are, and take steps to even the scales if you’re out of whack in any area.

Write about the things you’ve manifested in the six weeks since Lughnasadh, and any goals you’ve reached or lessons you’ve learned. Acknowledge the things you’ve sacrificed, and others have sacrificed for you, to be where you are now. Give thanks for your metaphorical harvest, honouring your achievements, experiences and wisdom in a way that feels right to you, be it with a big celebration or a personal ritual of gratitude. This is a powerful time to release what no longer serves you in order to move forward. In the wild, old growth is cleared. In your life, cut out anything that’s holding you back, draining you or preventing new life and love from flourishing, whether it’s work, a person, a belief system, a regret or an echo from the past. Many plants grow better, and produce more abundantly, if they are pruned regularly; likewise you will have more energy and time, and be more productive, if you let go of the things or situations that are dragging you down emotionally and wearing you out. Sometimes this is as simple as saying no to requests that leave you no time for your own needs, but you may have to go deep to discover what you would benefit from cutting out of your life.

It’s also a powerful time to heal rifts, resolve arguments and seek harmony in your life. Whether the other person is ready to work on the issue isn’t important – finding resolution and forgiving those involved, including yourself, within your own heart can bring immense personal healing, make you feel lighter, happier and stronger, and help you move forward with grace and wisdom. It’s a good time to explore your shadow side too, and bring any perceived darkness out into the light to be balanced and illuminated. Suppressing anger or stewing on a problem can blow it out of proportion, so write about your issues or fears to release the intensity and allow space for lightness and resolution to emerge. Acknowledge and respect your so-called negative emotions, for you have a right to them, and as long as you don’t drown or wallow in them, they can be a powerful catalyst for change. Experiencing and expressing anger doesn’t make you a bad person. Life is all about balance – being a healer and nurturer when needed, but allowing yourself to go into battle and fight injustice when necessary. Expressing anger constructively is far better, and healthier, than suppressing it, and finding your own power is about embracing every part of yourself – the light and the dark, the healer and the warrior, the sweet and the strong.

As the shadows lengthen, it’s also a good time to scry if you want insight into your future. If you can, light a fire and stare into the flames, allowing your mind to go blank and your vision to blur a little. Note any images you see. Or go outside and watch the clouds scuttling across the sky and analyse the shapes you see within them. Without thinking about it too much, write down what they mean to you. Pyromancy (fire reading) and nephomancy (cloud reading) are forms of divination that have been used for millennia. You should develop your own dictionary of symbols through regular practise, because you know better than anyone else what each symbol means to you, but you can begin with standard readings, such as a heart indicating new romance, a cat referring to the need to trust your intuition, a tree meaning you’ll make new friends and a plane foreshadowing travel. You can also use oracle cards or any other form of divination, tapping in to your intuitive powers in the most effective way you know how, and letting the truths of your heart and soul reveal themselves to you.

Ostara : Spring Equinox : Blossoming

The spring equinox is celebrated around March 20 or 21 in the northern hemisphere – in 2018 it falls on March 20 – and September 22 or 23 in the southern hemisphere. At this point night and day are of equal length, and it’s a time of balance and harmony both within and without.

Energetically, the spring equinox is a time of emergence and vitality. Life force courses through the planet, as well as through us. People throw off the dreariness of the cold months and awaken physically and mentally. Exercise and activity becomes easier, and motivation returns. This is the time to sow the seeds of what you want to achieve in the coming year, blessing them with your energy and intent, and to dedicate yourself to new goals. The vibration of this season supports the blossoming and growth of your personality, your spiritual and emotional development, and your dreams. It’s a very fertile time, when you can make things happen and create your own reality.

This equinox is about growth, passion and the unfurling and release of the immense potential you have within you. On both a universal and a personal level, it’s a time of balance and harmony, of union between the physical and the spiritual, and the integration of your heart and soul. This can be harnessed to anchor your dreams in reality and enhance your own inner harmony as the balance of universal outer energies is reflected within.

The spring equinox, also known as the vernal equinox (from the Latin vernare, to bloom), Ostara, Eostre, Lady Day, Earrach, Alban Eiler (light of the earth) and the Festival of Trees, marks the midpoint of spring. It’s a celebration of fertility, conception and regeneration as the earth begins to bloom and the memory of winter’s harshness fades away. It’s a time of new growth, where all of nature seems to be sprouting and blossoming. Seedlings emerge from the earth, new crops are sown, the buds on the trees open, birds build nests and lay eggs, and new life and momentum is celebrated…

Spring is the growing season, so celebrate it by connecting with the energy of growth. Plant the seeds of the things you want to achieve in the coming year, which means being clear and taking action to make what you want happen. Crops don’t grow unless you sow the seeds, and dreams don’t come true until you work to make them happen. It’s amazing how many people talk about how desperate they are to do something, yet never start. Even the wildest dream can be achievable if you break it down into little steps and patiently work towards it. Detail your plan in your journal, writing about what you actually seek and the specifics of what it involves and requires. Outline the first action you need to take, and the next – and then start today.

If you want a new job, rewrite your resume and send it to companies you want to work for, or sign up for a course that will qualify you for the career you aspire to. If you want to travel, open a savings account and set up an automatic payment plan today, and research the countries you long to visit. If you want to meet a partner, write a list of the qualities you seek, and be clear about the things you don’t want. Deal with any issues you have from past relationships and let go of bitterness, anger and regret. Forgive your exes, and yourself. Make your own happiness your priority, because when you’re the best person you can be – content, at peace, doing what you want to do – you’ll attract someone with the same qualities, be it a romantic partner, business colleague or a friend.

The equinox is about harmony and balance, so it’s a good time for unions, partnerships and initiations, both with others and with all the parts of yourself. Do a ritual or simply write in your journal about all the subtleties and shades of your character, the positive and the so-called negative, and integrate and accept all of them. Finding balance involves an acceptance of all aspects of the inner self – your protective side and your nurturing side, the aggressive and the gentle, the masculine and the feminine, the light and the shadow. Many people deny a part of themselves, afraid to be considered too emotional or too driven, too girlie or too tough, but getting in touch with your true self and all aspects of your personality is crucial to being the best and most effective person you can be, to achieving your dreams and finding true love and contentment.

Spring is also a time of newness and fresh starts, so let go of any mistakes you’re obsessing over and wipe your slate clean. Write about any situations you regret, being honest about the part you played and looking for any lesson you can take from it, then release it. Scribble down a word or draw a symbol to represent the event, then light a green candle and burn the paper in its flame, feeling the vibration of the wasted emotion or past incident leaving your body and your mind, and embracing the energy of a new start, a new future, a new dream. Ostara is the goddess of the dawn as well as fertility, and symbolises the dawning of a new day and all the potential and promise inherent in that. Make a resolution that reflects this new start, and feel its energy and power as you begin afresh.

In the coming months, re-read your journal at regular intervals and be re-inspired and re-motivated to keep aiming for your dream. Go over the plan you outlined and reassess how you’re progressing. Like a little seedling breaking through the earth, you need to nurture, protect and guide the progress of your goals…