As the Sun aligns with 0° Aries on March 20, the archetypal energies of the celestial ram eagerly reemerge from the throes of winter to charge forth into a new cycle of the astrological calendar — Nature's New Year.

This is the moment of the March equinox, when day and night are experienced in nearly equal measure all over the globe — the vernal or spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and the autumnal equinox in the Southern Hemisphere. At this phase of Earth’s perpetual pilgrimage, the Northern Hemisphere tilts increasingly toward the Sun — lengthening our days until Midsummer come June. It’s the time of year when light — both literally and symbolically — is born from the womb of winter’s darkness.

In this liminal time we’re invited to pause and reflect on what’s emerging from our depths and asking to be born into the light of the coming cycle — as well as on how best to balance the fiery Aries-inspired urge to forge ahead with the fragile nature of new beginnings.

On the Wheel of the Year the spring equinox is celebrated as Ostara, one of four solar festivals. Both the nature-based celebration of Ostara and the Christian festival of Easter are believed to derive their names and traditions from the worship of an ancient Germanic fertility goddess named Eostre — Goddess of the Dawn, Maiden of Spring. Accordingly, both Easter and Ostara celebrate the return of light & life to the land with the fertility symbols of hares, bunnies, birds, eggs, nests, and lambs. It’s a time of renewal, regeneration, resurrection and rebirth.

Intentional Ways to Celebrate Ostara & Spring Equinox and Nurture a Lifelong Love of the Natural World:

• Commit to your spring cleaning — clearing out the clutter of your life to make time and space for new things and experiences. 
  
•  Purchase or craft a besom broom to sweep away the old year’s energies and welcome Nature’s New Year.
• Clear your body and mind of accumulated heaviness with a gentle cleanse or detox.
• Shake off the seriousness of winter and playfully begin a new project or endeavor.
•  Go for a walk in nature to appreciate the budding signs of spring and the return of fertility to the land.
•  Use natural materials to dye eggs and contemplate the egg’s potent promise of new life and renewal.
•  Bake hot cross buns to celebrate the balance of day & night, the seasons, and all things.

Contemplation & Journal Prompts:

• What ideas, insights or inspirations did I receive over the winter? 
  Which inspirations would I like to explore further this spring?
  
• Which ideas or projects might need to be pruned back and composted?
  
• What will it take to plant, cultivate and nurture my new ideas to fruition?
• What will likely be my harvest?

Listen to our Ostara • Spring Equinox and Springtime Vibes • Children’s Music playlists to more deeply align with the energies of this potent season.

We cannot protect something we do not love, we cannot love what we do not know, and we cannot know what we do not see, or hear, or sense. — Richard Louv

So come weavers of story, art and song. Let us gather together now for the time has come, to weave a new vision for those yet to come. For we are the ancestors of our great-granddaughters and sons. — Olivia Fern, Remember Why You Came

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Tell Us: What feels fresh and inspiring as you enter this new cycle?