Vernal Equinox
ALTERNATE NAMES & SIMILAR OBSERVANCES:
Spring Equinox, Lady Day, Alban Eiler (Druidic), Ostara, Eostara, Eostre, Eostar, Easter, Gwyl Ganol y Gwanwyn (Welsh)
circa March 21
Beginnings is the key word for this point in time. The Sun reaches it's most Northern point around March 21, entering Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, a fire sign symbolic of conception (beginnings), drive, and intensity. This is the first day of Spring. 'Vernal' is Latin for bloom. 'Equinox' is Latin for equal night. In the North, signs of life are beginning to emerge in Nature. Trees and plants are starting to bud, grass begins to sprout in patches of melted snow, the sweet sounds of birds are starting to return as they make their nests and begin to lay their eggs. Fertility is abound.
In the Pagan Wheel of the Year, the Goddess conceives the child of the God, which in turn is the God himself. The seed is planted. Light and dark are in balance once again, but this time Light is overtaking the Dark. From this day forward the daylight grows longer, and night grows shorter until the Summer Solstice, when the Sun reaches its peak. This is the time to make a fresh start in any endeavor. There is a sense of eagerness and excitement in the air. New possibilities, fresh perspectives, and the drive to begin these possibilities. Some cultures consider this the New Year.
The Shamrock (trefoil), the Lily, Fleur-de-lis, and similar plants were all symbols of the three aspects of the Goddess; Virgin Maiden, Mother, and Crone. These threefolds represent the Goddess's ability to self-fertilize. The Triple Mothers of Celtic lore were sometimes called Three Brigits, or Three Morgans. In Roman myth, the Goddess Juno used a magic lily to conceive Mars without a male.
The name for the feminine hormone Estrogen comes from Eostre, the Goddess of fertility and conception. Her symbols were the hare (another fertility symbol) and the egg of creation. It was said you could see a hare in the moon at this time of year.
Correspondences
HERBS/INCENSE/FLOWERS:
Daffodils, catnip, clover, crocus, honeysuckle, lilies, lemon, lemongrass, lotus, jonquils, meadowsweet, narcissus, snowdrops, spearmint, tulips, violets, All Spring flowers
COLORS:
Green, Yellow, Scarlet, Violet, Pastels: Pinks, light Blues
SYMBOLS/DECORATIONS:
Colored and/or decorated eggs, birds, nests or baskets, rabbits and hares, Spring flowers.
FOODS:
Spring flower foods, first fruits of season, seeds, sprouts, leafy greens, eggs, honey cakes, cakes, buns, biscuits, cheeses, honey ham.
GODS & GODDESSES:
Aphrodite, Arachne, Astarte, Athena, Blodeuwedd, Cybele, Eostre, Gaia, Gaea, Hera, Inanna, Isis, Ishtar, Juno, Minerva, Persephone, Venus, Attis, The Great Horned God, The Green Man, Cernunnos, Demeter, The Dagda, Mithras, Odin, Osiris, Thoth, Pan...any God/desses of Love, Youth, Fertility, The Moon and Sun
GEMSTONES:
amethyst, aquamarine, bloodstone, jasper, rose quartz, moonstone.
ANIMALS/CREATURES:
rabbits, hares, lambs, all baby animals.
RITUALS/ACTIVITIES:
collecting, decorating and eating eggs, starting a garden, taking nature walks, making baskets, cleaning and cleansing, making a fresh start, new beginnings, obtaining balance
TAROT CARDS:
The Empress and The Fool
© 2003-2005 GypsyJaguar
Daffodils, catnip, clover, crocus, honeysuckle, lilies, lemon, lemongrass, lotus, jonquils, meadowsweet, narcissus, snowdrops, spearmint, tulips, violets, All Spring flowers
COLORS:
Green, Yellow, Scarlet, Violet, Pastels: Pinks, light Blues
SYMBOLS/DECORATIONS:
Colored and/or decorated eggs, birds, nests or baskets, rabbits and hares, Spring flowers.
FOODS:
Spring flower foods, first fruits of season, seeds, sprouts, leafy greens, eggs, honey cakes, cakes, buns, biscuits, cheeses, honey ham.
GODS & GODDESSES:
Aphrodite, Arachne, Astarte, Athena, Blodeuwedd, Cybele, Eostre, Gaia, Gaea, Hera, Inanna, Isis, Ishtar, Juno, Minerva, Persephone, Venus, Attis, The Great Horned God, The Green Man, Cernunnos, Demeter, The Dagda, Mithras, Odin, Osiris, Thoth, Pan...any God/desses of Love, Youth, Fertility, The Moon and Sun
GEMSTONES:
amethyst, aquamarine, bloodstone, jasper, rose quartz, moonstone.
ANIMALS/CREATURES:
rabbits, hares, lambs, all baby animals.
RITUALS/ACTIVITIES:
collecting, decorating and eating eggs, starting a garden, taking nature walks, making baskets, cleaning and cleansing, making a fresh start, new beginnings, obtaining balance
TAROT CARDS:
The Empress and The Fool
© 2003-2005 GypsyJaguar
References:
Starhawk, The Spiral Dance
Mike Nichols, The Witches' Sabbats
Raven Grimassi, The Wiccan Mysteries
Janet & Stewart Farrar, A Witches' Bible
D.J. Conway, Celtic Magic
Silver RavenWolf, To Ride a Silver Broomstick
Scott Cunningham, Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner
Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs
Henry I. Christ, Myths and Folklore
Cliffs Notes on Mythology
Also see:
Magic - Wheel of the Year - Imbolg - Vernal Equinox - Beltane - Summer Solstice - Lughnassadh - Autumnal Equinox - Samhain - Winter Solstice - Days of the Week - Elemental Correspondences - The Moon - The Sun - Altars and Ritual Tools - A Basic Spell - True Love Spell - Ideal Career Spell - Protection - Herbs and Oils for Protection - Symbolism - Colors
Navigation Menu
Website created by GypsyWolf - all content © 2003-2020.
We make it a point to keep our pages free of distracting and irrelevant advertisements. Any outside links or ads we use are carefully chosen to represent the content of the page and do not make money for us or the pages they lead to. Since our website does not generate income, we rely on generous people, like you, to keep us going. If you have gotten a lot out of our pages and feel you would like to give back in some way, please feel free to donate to our cause by sending a Paypal donation to us at paypal.me/gypsywolfexperience. Thank you so much for your support and interest in what we do!