Spring Equinox is when the world begins to come to life again after the winter. Buds burst into blossom, shoots appear in the earth, brave bulbs open up, the light returns and birds begin to sing.
Yet in the rush of life, we can easily miss this unfurling and the invitation of possibility and fertility it brings for our own lives.
This Spring Equinox make your rituals ones that celebrate the wonders of the season - here are 5 ideas for immersing yourself in the nature and beyond-human world on your doorstep:
1. Go cloud gazing
The atmosphere is our fluid connector. Spring is associated with the alchemical element of spring. Lie down either outside in your garden or on a bed or sofa from which you can see the sky and spend 10 minutes gazing at the moving clouds. Try to identify them using the Cloud Library from the Cloud Appreciation Society.
What are the clouds teaching you?
2. Watch a blossom unfurl
Find a nearby bud about to burst and go back daily to notice its unfurling. Try brushing its delicate petals against your face - what does it feel like? How long does it flower for? Does it have scent? Can you identify the tree?
What is the blossom teaching you?
3. Seek out nesting behaviours in birds
Leave out nesting materials such as untreated wool in your garden or on a window sill and notice which birds come to visit. Is there a bird you are particularly drawn to? Can you see it collect materials and go to the same spot?
When outside look closely at hedges (and try not to cut any hedges until nesting season is over) and notice if birds are fluttering in and out to build a nest. If you want to take a look, don't sneak up on them. Instead, hit the hedge a few times so the bird flies away then take a peek. This means that the bird doesn't abandon the nest for fear of a predator having found it. And it goes without saying, never take any eggs!
What are the nesting birds teaching you?
4. Watch the sunrise or sunset
Equinox means "equal night" and it is the time when the position of the Sun is exactly over the Equator (in 2024 that's 3:06 am GMT). When this happens daylight and darkness are about equal almost everywhere on Earth: an incredible reminder that we are on a beautiful, messy blue planet spinning through Space.
Look up the time of sunrise and sunset in your local area and wonder at the fact that we are a planet orbiting the Sun. From now until the Summer Solstice the days will become longer than the nights and the Earth springs to life again after winter's deep sleep.
What did watching the sun teach you?
5. Plant seeds
As Robin Wall Kimmerer says in her book Braiding Sweetgrass, "as we heal the earth, the earth heals us". Take a moment to plant some wildflower seeds for the summer. As they emerge make sure you go back and notice the joyful emerging of flowers and insects.
Seeds are precious carrying the genetic material of thousands of ancestors as well as the potential for many future generations.
What did planting seeds teach you?
Have a wonderful Spring Equinox!
