Spring Equinox and Full Egg Moon

Spring equinox occurs this afternoon at 2:58 p.m. PDT. The word equinox comes from the Latin words aequus (equal) and nox (night). This is a moment of balance- the sun rises exactly in the east, and sets exactly in the west, and we experience twelve hours each of light and dark. From this moment on, we gain more light each day, until the summer solstice.

Duck egg in the apple tree nest.

Tonight is also the full moon, called the Egg Moon because this is the month when birds begin to lay eggs again. 

The egg is a powerful symbol of hope, new beginnings, and completeness: My vague ideas take a solid shape, enclosed in a perfect shell, and I have created a whole new beautiful thing!

Agenda Today:
1. Journal queries
2. Altar
3. Practice balance
4. Plant my straw doll

1. Journal queries:
Consider the balance in my life.
How well do I balance my physical, mental, and spiritual needs?
How can I balance my personal needs with my commitments to the outside world? 
How do I balance my Being-ness (mindful, compassionate, grateful) with my Doing (engaged, kind,and giving)?

Think also of the balance in the world; meditate upon what this half of the year will bring, dark and light, and how best I can take right action in the world.

2. Altar:

It's time to clear my altar and discern what to put on it for the next 30 days. (For my general thoughts on altars see About Altars). I generally keep it simple and choose only things that speak to me and feed me, and reveal what I believe in. Today I cleared my altar and, then added:

• a golden candle- for balance in the center
• eggs, for hope, new beginnings, and completeness
• a cat for independence, mystery, and balance

3. Practice balance:

Today I set my theme for the next month, and it's balance- the balance of yin and yang, concentration and mindfulness, action and study, social and alone time, yearning and resistance.

It's spring, and I am ready to give myself passionately to life, refreshed and renewed after the long winter. I'm ready to say YES with vigor, and enjoy the surprises, confusion, and chaos. At the same time, I need time to retreat- to be still, write in my notebook, read a good book, think of nothing and do nothing.

I need balance- somewhere between emptiness and chaos is the state of just enough. Balance is about knowing what I really want out of my life, making a commitment, and sticking to it. It’s an ongoing, dynamic process- a balancing act! 

My balance intentions for the next month:

• Work steadily on paintings I've begun, but take time to collect new inspiration.
• Work for a 30 minutes each day in the garden, plant lots of food, and study permaculture techniques.
• Attend lots of climate action events, and also write and read about how to maintain hope and sanity.

4. Plant my straw doll:

Each fall I make a corn or straw doll. This year I made this simple straw doll on the autumn equinox, and she has been sitting on my altar ever since.

The custom in Europe was to make a straw figure out of the last sheaf of wheat that was harvested, so the spirit of the grain had a place to live through the winter. Then it was planted again in the spring.

Flooding new onion plants

So today I will plant my doll, then set in some baby onions.