The energy of the equinox

Why it's important and how to sync in...

Tomorrow, 23rd September, is the spring equinox in the southern hemisphere and the autumn equinox in the northern hemisphere. As I’m located in Australia I’m going to focus on the spring equinox for this post.

The equinox is marked by the sun crossing the equator and heading south, which will occur at 4:49pm AEST. If our calendar was really based on the earth’s cycles, this shift would herald the true beginning of spring.

The movement of the sun symbolises rebirth, new beginnings and fertility. It’s the energy of the maiden and a woman coming into her fertile years.

If you step out into nature you can see this mirrored all around you. Birds are giving birth, ducklings waddling after parents, magpies sweeping to protect their nests, soft emerald green leaves appearing on trees and new season bulbs flowering everywhere.

This morning I went to my farmers market and purchased blue lotus flowers for the first time since autumn. The timing was perfect as one of the ways I like to celebrate the spring equinox is by creating a flower altar in my house. I also ensure I have at least one flower in each room. Flowers for me so synonymous with spring. Right now, the heady scent of the blue lotus is floating around me and my computer and holding me in some sort of divine haze.

The other thing I like to do is symbolically embody the energy of rebirth. I’ll start my day by walking around barefoot on the lush dewy morning grass and making a prayer for the sun. I will cook with eggs, symbolising the circle of life, and include seasonal greens and roots. I purchased sweet blueberries, strawberries and mulberries from the market, all key spring fruits and will make a dish with them. I spend as much time as I can in nature, noticing the change in season and connecting with that same energy in me. I’m meeting girlfriends for tea and lunch, another way I honour the feminine principle.

Tapping into the energy of fertility is equally powerful for menopausal women. For me it reminds me that within me lies all energies. The potential to embody fertility can happen in different ways at the right time of year.

In addition to the energy of rebirth, we have the energy of balance. For one day, in both hemispheres, day and night is equal. Essentially sunset and sunrise are 12 hours apart. It is a unique and special day representing balance. And if you really empty your schedule and to-do list and sit with the energy around you, you’ll feel it too.

There is a sense of equanimity on the equinox. I like to say we become like the yin yang symbol. Harmony through the balance of light and dark. It can be truly beautiful.

Our world is made of polarity. It wouldn’t be our world without it. Night and day. Light and dark. North and south. Feminine and masculine. There are always two opposite but equal forms in a dance of sorts. To make union we need separates. A whole can not exist without its halves.

Sitting with this energy, we can take the opportunity to enquire into our own lives and where we may feel out of balance… and then draw it in.

For us women, we’re gifted with a wonderful opportunity on days like the equinox to tune in with the nature of the ever-changing cyclical feminine presence in the world and in us. For me, it’s like I can cross through a barrier of sorts. I tend to experience a type of merging between my body and the body of the world around me. I expand and at the same time I contract.

I invite you to join me in a little ritual. Lie on the grass if you can. Or sit under a tree. Feel the place you and the earth touch. Focus on the exact spot and then see if you can feel the line that separates you dissipate. If you’re inspired to share your experience with me, I’d love to hear it.

Equinox blessings.