Its the vernal equinox this weekend, but I will not be doing anything special. Aside from the fact I don't have a day off until March 29th, the equinoxes have never appealed to me as something to be honoured. Yes, I do a personal ritual for the solstices, in addition to the four fire festivals, the rituals I undertake at these times being more aligned with ancestral worship than seasonal change or deity lore.
I never did understand why the equinoxes were honoured by some neo-pagans. I don't notice a change in natural energies at this time and, after the howlers last week, it seems to me there has been a bit of dampening to the usual spring madness. I know its not just me feeling this way, because a friend of mine also mentioned the storms swallowing the energy, rather than adding to it.
This year the equinox is the same weekend as easter and the extra time off seems to have given some people the impetus to actually take time out to celebrate. I am not sure if people are going to miss having not having an extra festival (i.e. Easter) after their Ostara celebrations. I will watch and see.
Perhaps someone will be kind enough to leave a comment on this blog as to why the vernal equinox is so important to neo-pagans. I've never really bothered to do any research on it as it just didn't align with my gnosis.
3 comments:
I don't love the Spring Equinox as much as the other festivals, but I still enjoy it, especially the chocolate :)
I have always liked the theme of the balance of darkness and light in the modern festival, though.
I don't do groups or formal rituals but my understanding is that the spring equinox/Ostara is both a time of balance (ie equal hours of light and darkness) and a celebration of the triumph of light over darkness as the days begin to lengthen. It is also a fertility festival and a celebration of the new life that is beginning to appear all around.
I thought Beltane was the fertility festival?
Post a Comment