Happy Spring Equinox, or Ostara!  Just a year ago, the pandemic was rapidly ramping up, yet now, the vaccines are ending it, day by day.  Even in this surreal time, we can still observe the seasonal change.  The orbit of the Earth of course isn’t effected by a pandemic.

A year ago, I wrote that “at least hundreds of thousands, and perhaps millions, will die before this is over”.  With a death toll of over 2 million and still climbing, it’s clear that the more chilling estimate was correct.  In the face of that (as before), this is a time for us each to help our world, care for those around us (and ourselves), and try to maintain perspective.  Our human species will go on, just as we have through so many disease outbreaks of the past.  We all have thousands of Ancestors who survived plagues, often without anywhere near the level of understanding we have today.  Amid this time, our understanding and our spiritual practices can help us.  Our spirituality brings us Ostara today – a very timely reminder that life returns after challenges, as well as a reminder of how important our respect for science is.  Of course, our spherical planet also gives us the beautiful symmetry of the  Fall Equinox (& Mabon) being celebrated now by our Southern Hemisphere friends.  The moment of the Equinox is at 9:37 AM (UT), Saturday, March 20th.  Life will return!

Most of the online celebrations are today.  Check out the links here to join any of them.

Celebrations

Some of the ways many of us are celebrating were published a few weeks ago. My family will celebrate the Equinox Sunday, with the egg coloring and other traditions mentioned in the post just linked to.  We have found that leaving them in the dye in the cold garage over night deepens their color.  In whatever way you are celebrating, Happy Equinox!

This is an  updated version of the yearly Spring Equinox announcement.   An overview of the eight holidays of the Wheel of the Year, from a naturalistic perspective, is here.