Spring Is Arriving!

This coming Friday - at least in the Southern Hemisphere - marks the Spring Equinox, when the Sun makes its ingress into Libra.  Pagans and Heathens are also inclined to call this Eostre (Ostara), after the Germanic goddess of the springtime.  While this is a generalised time for marking the Equinox - Spring or Autumn - across the globe, the exact equinoctal time is dependent on location, and here is where it differs.  I like looking at sunrise and sunset forecasts and I noted that in my part of the world, true day and night being equal had actually occurred two days ago, at 5.49am and pm.  Owing to the earth's tilt towards the sun at this time from my location, this is when it occurred.  So a small plate of food was offered on Monday night while I will still mark the official Equinox on Friday night to honour Eostre. 

The name Eostre itself gives the name to Easter, which is normally celebrated after the full moon, and falls anywhere between the end of March to mid-April, in line with the Northern Hemisphere's springtime.  Nowadays, and for a while now, the Easter celebration marks Christ's crucifixion and resurrection for Christians.  For the rest of us, though, it is a marker for something more significant - especially the moving out of Winter and into Spring.  This passage of time is even more important in the Southern Hemisphere, when our seasons are in reverse to the Northern.  For the Pagan mindset, we honour the seasons, wherever we are in the world.

So now that we Southerners are approaching Spring, what does this time mean?  Seasonally, it's the promise of warmer and temperate weather, and for a time, there is an equal period of daylight and night, until the days start getting longer and the nights shorter before Solstice.  The flowers are starting to sprout new growth and show off their best colours and fragrances.  If we listen to the birdsong, there is a lot more chatter in the early hours of the morning.  It's their time for finding a mate and feathering their nest before the arrival of their young.  While the same can also be held true for humans, it's really a metaphorical outlook for new beginnings which are coming our way.  The worst of the cold weather has generally passed over, the sun's arc is starting to climb from the east and making its trajectory across our northern skies before reaching zenith and setting in the west.  After the Equinox, the Sun rises towards the south-east and sets in the south-west, marking the longer days to come.  People naturally wish to hibernate in the wintertime and now it's time to be out and about in order to get things moving again.  We may have a project or goal that we want to take off and we start sowing the seeds in order for those goals to sprout.  Relationships may form, or established ones rekindled.  Whatever is happening at this point in our lives, longer days take on a new meaning, bringing with it a promise of better days to come.

What also happens is a period of reflection, a time of looking back where we've been throughout the previous months, especially if we have experienced a period of great difficulty.  I live in a town where it's pretty dead in winter because it's heavily reliant on tourism, and a deep sense of isolation was felt, especially because this was my first winter and I very quickly learned to appreciate that it it's important to go with the season's flow, despite knowing that at the same time, my budget has been rather tight and I had to lay the groundwork for putting my name out there in order to gain a steady stream of work in the long run.  I was fighting against the natural order of the seasons, even though it was very important for me to do.  Perhaps next winter will allow me to relax more and take it easy, now that I know what it's like, but enough of that.  Let's reflect on what we've learned about ourselves over this period of time and look ahead in respect of what we want from our lives next.  The turning of the sun and seasons follows a predictable pattern and we recognise how we flow with this, even though daily circumstances change.  Let's enjoy the longer days, the time we spend with our folk and family - those people who are near and dear to us - forming new friendships and alliances, and capitalising on the opportunities which present to us!

As for our Northern cousins, the Summer is passing, and the days are getting shorter.  Those days would've been spent doing what we're getting ready to do, and preparing for bringing in the harvest, to reap the rewards from the Spring sow, and this is the crux - we reap what we sow.  So let's make good of our goals and aspirations.

As I've been writing this, we are experiencing another wet day on the coast, so this is Old Man Winter giving us one last show of a cold and wet day before we move on. Mercury retrograde is also getting ready to station before moving forward again, so the wheels are in motion.

I wish everyone a merry Equinox, and a merry Ostara!  Wassail!

Dear Mercury Retrograde

Dear Mercury Retrograde

How are you doing today?  I have noticed that since you went into retrograde motion - about two weeks ago now - you were sitting at 28 degrees of Virgo and all but moving into Libra, when you decided to pull another one of your retrograde surprises!  Now, Ive been onto your game for a long time now, but in saying that, you never cease to surprise me in this fashion.  Direct relation to Loki?  There has been a lot of mischief, but mostly, there has been confusion in recent weeks.  Having had migraines doesn't help.  To be perfectly frank, it makes my head fuzzy and I rely on my head a lot in order to think clearly.

When you reached 28 degrees of Virgo, you sat in an exact inconjunct position to my natal Jupiter (150 degrees apart).  This awkward position is normally a reminder that a period of adjustment is needed.  Unfortunately, I haven't taken this entirely into account and for the last two weeks, I've been in this migraine fog.  I can't directly blame you for this, as I should've realised what's been going on.  You see, there's been a period of desperation, and when you've all but run out of money, one can't help but feel despair at these times.

Then today, I've had this revelation, and it's been hinting at me these last two days.  I was at a local market when I came upon this lovely tarot reader who was accepting donations for payment.  So I thought, why not?  I could do with some idea of where I'm really heading.  The cards spoke of choices, change and taking chances.  Among the Celtic Cross spread were five major arcana cards, with the Lovers as my significator, Death, High Priestess, the Moon and the Fool telling me where my path lies. 

 

I realised that after I took this photo, the missing card alongside the crossed four of swords is nine of Pentacles, which, fortunately, is in the past position.  Looking at the rest of the deck, there has clearly been uncertainty and a feeling of entrapment in my situation - feelings of my own making.  What I really want to do with my life should be at the forefront of my mind now, not muddled up somewhere in the back of it!  I was warned once that I've been dragged kicking and screaming to my life's path, and looking back on it, I have indeed!  What's been the cause?  Fear? Lack of confidence?  What other people think?  Well you know what, Mercury?  Thank you very much for where you currently sit, retrograde at 16 degrees of Virgo, sitting on my natal Nadir (4th house angle of home, where I wish to work and utilise my talents from the comfort and safety of my environment), which, of course, would have you oppose both my midheaven (10th house of public recognition and vocation) and Chiron in Pisces.  Your position is giving me more food for thought in that I should push this public persona in the area of healing and spirituality. Lets not also forget how you're sitting at an inconjunct angle with my natal Sun in Aries and my 11th house of networking, as if you're reminding me of my needing to rework this strategy and networking power.   Add to that is how it sextiles (60 degrees apart) my natal Neptune in my 6th house of work and health.  Chiron makes a nice trine (120 degrees apart) with Neptune, and while I've recognised this, I've allowed myself to get caught up with other areas of my life.  Those doors I thought I wanted open hadn't and the one I've ignored for so long should be.  I have a Gemini ascendant, which at times makes me a bit flighty. I was told today about keeping one area of my work in the forefront of my mind and allow the rest to fall into line, which makes perfect sense now.  I'm not mutually exclusive with my creative passions, as to have one thing only would do my head in.  Now, it's about what's really important - for myself and others!

And you're not finished with your retrograde motion yet!  Five more days before you turn direct once more and hit those aspects again before moving on, and making those aspects again.  At least now I'm awake and aware!

This full moon in Pisces has moved through my 10th house and now I must captitalise on what I really want to do and how best to make it work for me.

Till next time, Wassail!