Vernal Equinox

Vernal Equinox today – the first day of Spring!

Spring EquinoxArt by Kathryn Rodenbach.

The Sun enters Aries today, marking the Vernal Equinox – the time at which the days and nights are of equal length.  The charts for the Equinoxes and Solstices are significant in predicting the energy that will be circulating over the next few months, and these charts are often used by weather forecasters as well as other prognosticators of various kinds.

The chart for the current Equinox shows an exact opposition of Saturn to the Sun, which suggests challenges and delays along with the necessity for practicality and diligence.  However, Mars in Leo is exactly trine to the Sun, a harmonious balance of active energy that helps to keep us motivated and inspired.

The Moon in this chart is in an exact square to Chiron and Neptune which suggests a certain amount of emotional intensity despite the fact that the Moon is in Taurus which tends to remain rather balanced through any kind of chaos.  But Chiron and Neptune bring about a push for emotional healing and this sometimes necessitates an eruption of feelings that have long been hidden.

The Moon is in an exact harmonious sextile to Uranus which helps to provide a level of rationality and air which will keep the emotional stuff from becoming too intense.  Overall this is not a bad chart and suggests that the period leading up to the Summer Solstice will be a time of reflection and preparation for the intensity to come at the Solstice point.

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By |2010-03-20T07:41:53-04:00March 20th, 2010|Astrology|Comments Off on Vernal Equinox today – the first day of Spring!

The Vernal Equinox!

The Sun enters Aries today, making this the Vernal Equinox in the tropical zodiac, the time when the days and nights are of equal length.  This therefore is a time of balance and the moment that Spring begins.

The chart for the equinox, which occurs at 7:44 am this morning, features a square from Pluto to the Sun which signifies great power and the potential for transformation but also for conflict.  Pluto in Capricorn demands sacrifice and respect for the contracting cycle, and the new Aries Sun resists this and wants to burst forth impatiently  into Spring, unconscious of the greater contraction in the world around us.

Mercury is conjunct Uranus in Pisces, suggesting new ideas and experiences from which we can draw wisdom and greater understanding.  The opposition of Saturn to that conjunction adds a need for practical application and the creation of a structure within which to operate to create change.  The Moon trines Saturn and sextiles Mercury/Uranus, so the deeper instinctual wisdom is the key to maintaining balance.   Chiron and Neptune are in conjunction and the process of exposing old wounds so that we can connect to the divinity in our lives in a way that is more real and more true.

The Equinox is a resurrection festival that is found across a variety of cultural perspectives and religion.  Attis, Adonis, Osiris, Jesus, Dionysus – all are gods who die and are reborn in the spring.  This is a time to be reborn ourselves – to blossom and shed the old skins that are no longer working for us.

The Moon interacts in harmonious sextiles with Venus at around 10:15 am and with Uranus at around 4 pm EDT, so the planetary energies are generally positive today.  This is more of a time for thinking and […]

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By |2019-11-10T19:27:33-05:00March 20th, 2009|Planetary cycles|Comments Off on The Vernal Equinox!

Easter and the Equinox

(reprinted from last year)

Many people now know that Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter are tied to pagan celebrations of cosmological events such as the solstices and equinoxes. Easter, a holiday that commemorates the time that Jesus supposedly rose from the tomb, was originally connected to both the Equinox and the full moon since it originally occurred on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon following the Vernal Equinox.

This was likely calculated from observation of the full moon at first, but because the date derived from the actual full moon coincided with the Jewish celebration of Passover. For centuries the early Church leaders squabbled over a method to determine the date for Easter and ultimately created a table of “ecclesiastical” full moons for which to calculate a date for Easter in an unbelievably complex method.

I personally believe that the practice of dating Christian “feast days” to coincide with pagan magical points such as the solstices and equinoxes and moons goes beyond a simple desire to convert the pagans; it is quite likely that the early church fathers were aware of the power of these planetary events that connect us to a greater sense of cosmological wonder and utilized them to their advantage. At the Vernal Equinox we celebrate the resurrection of Spring, and for centuries preChristian peoples celebrated the resurrection of their dying gods at the Equinox. Dionysos, Tammuz, Adonis and Attis were all gods whose rebirth was celebrated as the Spring brought the return of fertility to the land. It is this fertility connection to Easter that brings us the Easter bunny, whose capacity to become impregnated with a second litter while bearing the first makes it a perfect symbol for fertility.

And the […]

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By |2019-11-10T19:27:48-05:00March 24th, 2008|Holidays|Comments Off on Easter and the Equinox

A Powerhouse of an Equinox

The Vernal Equinox occurs tomorrow, March 20, at 2 am EST as the Sun enters Aries, marking the re-entry of the fire element into our planetary cycles. The opposition of Mars in Cancer to Pluto in Capricorn has certainly been fiery, but the fire element has been notably missing.

The chart for the Vernal Equinox point features the Equinox Sun nearly exactly square to Pluto and still within orb of a square to Mars which is moving away from that pesky opposition point. Pluto, which is stationing (slowing down) in preparation for its retrograde turn, is amplified in intensity. We also find an opposition between Mercury (mental functions) and Saturn (disillusionment) that is likely to create some negative thinking and difficulty in communication processes.

One day later, the Libra Full Moon will move into position to square Mars and Pluto as it opposes the Sun, forming a Grand Cross. The next few days will be a powerful time, and the energy of this time will spill over into the next few weeks and possibly months. It’s very important now, in this time of great power, to be aware of the energy that we are sending into the world. Everything is amplified now, and each small event ripples into a greater event that has far-reaching consequences.

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By |2008-03-19T21:05:00-04:00March 19th, 2008|Astrology, Planetary cycles|Comments Off on A Powerhouse of an Equinox

Easter and the Equinox

easter-bunnieaMany people now know that Christian holidays such as Christmas and Easter are tied to pagan celebrations of cosmological events such as the solstices and equinoxes. Easter, a holiday that commemorates the time that Jesus supposedly rose from the tomb, was originally connected to both the Equinox and the full moon since it originally occurred on the first Sunday after the first Full Moon following the Vernal Equinox.

This was likely calculated from observation of the full moon at first, but because the date derived from the actual full moon coincided with the Jewish celebration of Passover. For centuries the early Church leaders squabbled over a method to determine the date for Easter and ultimately created a table of “ecclesiastical” full moons for which to calculate a date for Easter in an unbelievably complex method.

I personally believe that the practice of dating Christian “feast days” to coincide with pagan magical points such as the solstices and equinoxes and moons goes beyond a simple desire to convert the pagans; it is quite likely that the early church fathers were aware of the power of these planetary events that connect us to a greater sense of cosmological wonder and utilized them to their advantage. At the Vernal Equinox we celebrate the resurrection of Spring, and for centuries preChristian peoples celebrated the resurrection of their dying gods at the Equinox. Dionysos, Tammuz, Adonis and Attis were all gods whose rebirth was celebrated as the Spring brought the return of fertility to the land. It is this fertility connection to Easter that brings us the Easter bunny, whose capacity to become impregnated with a second litter while bearing the first makes it a perfect symbol for fertility.

And the name Easter? This name […]

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By |2019-11-10T19:27:49-05:00March 21st, 2007|Holidays|Comments Off on Easter and the Equinox