The Zodiac begins its cycle as Lord Sun moves into Aries, sign of the Ram.
Satellite image of the Earth at the spring equinox on March 20, 2013. Image from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) / LiveScience.com.
The Vernal or Spring Equinox, also known as Ostara and Lady Day, falls on Sunday, March 20, 2016. This date is also International Astrology Day, and this year it is the date of Palm Sunday. The Zodiac begins its cycle as Lord Sun moves into Aries, sign of the Ram, a Cardinal Masculine Fire sign.
Use the colors pink, yellow, light green, and all pastels in your dress and decorations. Incorporate representations of eggs and rabbits as well as living plants into your decorations; Mother Earth is awakening from her winter’s nap and life begins anew. Clusters of wild flowers would also be appropriate for this season.
Serve your guests a buffet including eggs, custards, hot cross buns, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, leafy green veggies, cheeses, ham, and chocolate. The goddesses of spring are reputed to enjoy sweets, especially chocolate.
Outdoors, this is the traditional time to plant an herb garden. If the weather is not good for sowing seeds directly into a garden bed, starting seeds indoors to plant outside when the time is right will be just as good.
There are many activities associated with the Vernal Equinox, many incorporating the concept of balance, as the hours of daylight and darkness are equal. You and your guests may enjoy trying to balance a raw egg on its larger end. The decorating of eggs, hard-boiled or wooden or even paper cut-outs can be another shared activity.
Preparing hot cross buns to share with your guests would need to be done in advance of the event, but these buns may be decorated and that could be a group activity. Whatever you choose to incorporate into your celebration, keep in mind that the focus is on balance in all things.
You may find it interesting to share the lore of Hot Cross Buns with your guests: these small rolls or buns, made from a rich yeast dough that includes spices and raisins or currants and marked with a cross cut into the dough before its final rise that divides the bun into four equal sections, are traditionally made for the Easter season. They are said to honor the Saxon goddess of Spring, Eostre.
The four sections of the buns represent the four seasons and the balance the seasons bring to our lives. The dividing cuts on the buns may be filled with icing, pastry cream, or melted chocolate, whatever you and your guests like. Be creative!
[Kate Braun was a contributor to the original Rag. Her website is www.tarotbykatebraun.com. She can be reached at kate_braun2000@yahoo.com. Read more of Kate Braun’s writing on The Rag Blog.]
