Ritual for the Vernal Equinox

The Vernal Equinox on Monday, March 20th marks the first day of Spring. The moment the equinox is exact (10:29 UTC) is the the moment when day and night are of equal length in the northern and southern hemisphere. It is the moment when you can balance an egg on its end. It is also the commencement of the solar new year, when the sun has made a full round through all the pie slice signs on the zodiac wheel and returned to its starting point.

If you’ve been following my goings-on this year you will hopefully have encountered Elements of Spirit - the free weekly reading series I’ve been doing on my YouTube channel. The readings are based around the elements of Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Ether.

In the zodiac, each of the signs are associated with one of these elements. The grouping of signs by elements are known as triplicities, as there are 3 signs assigned to each element. 4 elements, 3 signs each, to complete the zodiac wheel of 12. The 5th element of Ether can be thought of as the whole wheel of the zodiac, the circle which contains the 12 slices of pie.

The elements, the triplicities, even astrology as a whole are ways of approaching an understanding of the truth within yourself by using a frame of reference outside of yourself. By assigning meaning to the elements as they manifest in the world, you can search for those corresponding elements and their meanings as they manifest within yourself.

What’s cool about something like an equinox (or a solstice) is that they are moments of observable phenomena outside of yourself which can connect you to a corresponding manifestation within yourself. Honoring an equinox through ritual, like the one I’m offering today, is an opportunity to formally recognize the outer event and its meaning, so that you can then create the space for that meaning to manifest inside of you.

Example: Spring Equinox is associated with Cardinal Fire. The initiatory spark of flame. This is because the Equinox occurs the moment that the sun moves into the sign of Aries. The Cardinal signs make up 1/3 of the zodiac - they are the signs which mark the start of the seasons: Summer is Cancer, Fall is Libra, Winter is Capricorn, and Spring is Aries. They are associated with initiatory energy, the beginning of things, and the vibe of breaking through.

To get a better sense of this, imagine a piece of water logged wood that has been sitting outside in the middle of a flooding winter rain throughout the time of Pisces (this year from Feb 18-Mar 19). That wood is so dang wet. Now imagine the amount of heat it would take to ignite that wood from deep within, from its wettest place. The moment when that spark emerges from the wetness, the spark that will grow to dry and then consume the entire log as fuel… that’s Cardinal Fire, Sun entering Aries. 

So when you honor a moment in time that is visible, and measurable, (like the equinox, like the sun moving from Pisces into Aries) and recognize that moment as a moment when stuff POPS OFF, you are creating the space within yourself for a corresponding manifestation. You are preparing a space for YOU to pop off.

I’m going to give you a simple, yet thorough ritual to honor and harness the power of the Spring Equinox, honoring the moment, the elements, the cosmos, and your place in it. You will acknowledge that which is water logged, that which is ready to burn, and in the space of that burning I give you an opportunity to create intentions for that which you’d like to manifest in the coming year! I am also including a list of tools you will need. Happy Spring.

RITUAL FOR VERNAL EQUINOX

Needed:

1 candle
1 fireproof bowl for ceremonial burning
2 pieces of paper and a writing implement
A small bowl of salt
A bigger bowl of water
Sage or incense

1. Assemble all of your tools on a flat surface, with or without a protective cloth. State your intention: “This is a ritual to honor the vernal equinox, the first day of spring, the moment of equality between night and day, light and dark, sun and moon, God and Goddess.
    
2. Get grounded and centered. Imagine tree roots growing out of your feet into the Earth below you. From the center of the Earth, imagine Mother Earth reaching up her hands to grab those roots and pull them all the way down into her deepest places. Alternatively you can stomp your feet on the ground several times and feel the vibration under your feet and say aloud 3 times - “I am fully grounded and present NOW.”
    
3. Call upon the elements to oversee this ritual, starting with fire. Light your candle and say aloud, “I honor the principle of Cardinal Fire, and the initiatory spark that emerges from the darkness. I call upon the element of Fire to oversee this ritual. Let the purifying flame of fire consume and transform. Thank you to the element of Fire.” Gaze at the candle flame for a few moments and imagine yourself as a candle flame with its source in the center of your belly.
    
4. Welcome in the other elements. Use the candle flame to light your incense or sage and say aloud, “I call upon the element of Air to purify this space. Let the wisdom of Air clarify and refresh. Thank you to the element of Air.” Dip the fingers of your left hand in the bowl of water and say aloud, “I call upon the element of Water to encourage connection in this space. Let the fluidity of Water heal and soothe. Thank you to the element of Water.” Place the thumb of your right hand into the bowl of salt and say aloud, “I call upon the element of earth to consecrate this space. Let the weight of earth strengthen and fortify. Thank you to the element of Earth.”
    
5. Using your right pointer finger, extend your arm in front of you to its full length, like you’re pointing across the room. Rotate your body in a clockwise motion, tracing a circle around you and all of your tools. Say aloud, “I welcome all the benevolent forces of the Spring Equinox into this circle. Please ensure the perfect working of this ritual. Thank you.”
    
6. On one piece of paper write down something you’d like to release into the past. Something that occurred, a memory, a feeling, a pattern, a behavior. Something you are ready to release once and for all, for good, to the abyss. Write it down and now imagine three scenarios involving whatever you are releasing. They can be things that actually happened, or things that you remember, or even symbols or colors that are associated with whatever you are releasing. There is no exact science here, it could literally be three of the same things - like three pink circles representing all that you are releasing. What really matters is that you are specific. As you run through these scenarios or images imagine them playing out on a movie screen. Let the image on that screen descend through your forehead, through the center of your brain, down into your brain stem, and all the way into your heart. do this for each scenario or image. Now fold up your paper and, holding it in your right hand, submerge it in your bowl of water, saying aloud, “I release all that is not needed to the waters of Pisces and the forces of the abyss. And it is done.”
    
7. Now write down something you want to welcome into your life on the second piece of paper, something you want to manifest. Be specific and phrase it as though you already have it. So don’t say “I want to win a Peabody,” say “I am a recipient of a Peabody.” Now imagine three crystal clear situations in which you have what you want. Be certain that you do not imagine specific people in this visualization as that would violate the Law of Free Will. Imagine each scenario playing out on a movie screen in front of you, then let the scene and its imagery enter through your forehead, passing through the center of your brain, descending down to your brain stem and finally anchoring itself deep in your heart. Say aloud, “I release this manifestation into the fire of Aries. I allow it to manifest in perfect alignment with my higher self and the divine plan of creation. I ask for this with full faith, knowing that it is already mine, in my highest good, and the highest good of all involved, with harm to none. And it is so.” Now fold the piece of paper and light it in the candle flame. Place it in your ceremonial burning bowl and imagine yourself burning brighter as you watch the paper burn.
    
8. Bring your hands to your heart center in prayer position. Bow down to your heart and thank the light within you. Think of the sun, moving in the sky, and know that good things are to come. Give thanks to the elements by saying, “I give thanks to the elements of Earth, Water, Air, Fire and Ether as they shape and manifest in my life. I honor the mystery of all that is unknown and obscured from my view.”
    
9. Using your right pointer finger, extend your arm in front of you to its full length. Trace a circle in a counterclockwise direction by turning your body around with your pointer finger still extended. Say aloud, “I release this working and all of its forces into the space of the universe. Let this working unfold perfectly, in the highest good of all involved with harm to none. And so it is.” Declare that the working is finished by saying aloud, “This circle is closed and this working is complete.”

Now, Chillllllll.

With love, and perfectly balanced light and dark,
MD