With star-watching, eggs and pagan rituals.
This year, both Groundhog Day and the State of the Union address fell on the same day. As Air America pointed out, "It is an ironic juxtaposition: One involves a meaningless ritual in which we look to a creature of little intelligence for prognostication, and the other involves a groundhog." This past February, the Groundhog saw his shadow and returned to his burrow, which is more than we can say for that creature of little intelligence. Nonetheless, the Groundhog will remain underground until the Spring Equinox, which is quickly approaching on March 20.
But what is the Spring Equinox anyway? Commonly known as the day of equilibrium, the Spring (or Vernal) Equinox ***image4***marks the point when the hours of sunlight and the hours of darkness are equal. Technically speaking, the Spring Equinox is merely the result of the Earth's rotation around the sun. This effect gives us the seasons, depending on which hemisphere is angled toward the sun and which is turned away. This phenomenon occurs only twice a year, at the Spring and Autumn Equinox. The Spring Equinox is also known as Ostara, who was the pagan goddess of spring and fertility-the two are often linked because of new life emerging this time of year.
In fact, cultures throughout history have celebrated this time of year. In Japan, Vernal Equinox Day is an official national holiday on which the Japanese commonly visit family, dead or alive. The Iranian New Year also comes simultaneously with the Spring Equinox, as does the New Year of the Bahai faith. Earth Day was originally designated to this same day, seen as a fitting time to honor Mother Nature.
Pagans consider each change of season a holiday and thus conduct an array of celebrations on this day. Many activities include egg eating, egg painting, egg hunts and egg races. What's with all the ***image3***eggin,' you ask? Eggs symbolize potential and new life, concepts commonly associated with the blossoming spring. Pagan spring festivals often utilize a theme of fertility and are seen as a time to celebrate the balance and harmony of life, the seasons, night and day. An old myth states that the Vernal Equinox is the easiest time of year to balance an egg on its end. In fact, one woman has conducted public egg-balancing ceremonies in New York City. Clearly, the myth has sprung some spring fun.
If Pagan Equinox practices intrigue you, the local teaching coven Prism Wheel will conduct an Ostara ritual. This coven will join Our Lady of the Woods, a northern New Mexico coven, to celebrate the spring. Tom Little, Prism Wheel representative, describes the ceremony as a "sunrise ritual overlooking the Rio Grande River. We'll be drumming up the sun and then enjoying a breakfast potluck." Little also explains that, in his home, he colors eggs with his daughter in celebration of Ostara. They use natural dyes such as beets, spinach and berries in this common practice that, he says, was originally pagan.
What can you do to celebrate the Spring Equinox? The Folk Art Museum offers a Four Seasons Labyrinth Walk on March 19. The Santa Fe Labyrinth Resource Group invites the public to walk the Milner Plaza Labyrinth in celebration of the Spring Equinox. Of course, there are other great opportunities at this flowering time of year. Perhaps you have yet to scope out the planetarium at Santa Fe Community College. Since 1995, the planetarium has offered a variety of informative and ***image1***entertaining programs.
Juan Alvarez de Castillo, the director of the planetarium, encourages those who are interested to check out the evening activities offered at the planetarium, such as the informal astronomy classes. In addition, the staff leads a telescope viewing of the night sky one night per month. As an inspiring resource, the planetarium makes for some stupendous solstice star-staring.
If this interests you, now is the perfect time to visit the Star Hill Inn, "where the stars are the only lights illuminating the sky." Since astronomy is such a big part of the changing seasons, this resort makes for a great springtime getaway. Since 1988, it has been the premiere astronomy retreat in the country, featuring 10 telescopes located on 200 acres, and about an hour from Santa Fe at 7,200 feet. A stay at Star Hill Inn provides the opportunity to not only relax in private and charming guesthouses, but to attend a Star Tour. The tour is led by owner/astronomer Phil Mahon and includes a telescope and guided tour of the night sky.
Mahon says galaxies are the most available for viewing in the spring sky and he is happy to help you discover them. He also recommends grabbing a pair of binoculars to check out the first comet to be discovered in 2006, Comet Pojmanski. Grzegorz Pojmanski of the Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory discovered this comet on Jan. 2 in a photograph taken at a Chilean observatory. The quickly moving astronomical marvel is best visible in the early morning hours and is located in the eastern sky, about seven degrees left of the luminous planet Venus. Increasing in brightness, Comet Pojmanski is already on its way back into space so it may be difficult to catch. Nevertheless, Mahon also recommends looking for Saturn, which is currently well-placed for viewing, a common Star Hill Inn activity at the moment. Reservations at this unusual resort are an absolute must in order to ensure availability.
Celebrating the equinox in one's home may be the most enjoyable. Decorate your abode with the colors of spring, specifically red and green, which represent blood (the sacrifice of life) and the growth of plants, respectively. Gather flowers and twigs, pieces of nature to symbolize the budding life. Stock your refrigerator with foods associated with spring: cheese, eggs, butter. Choose a seed to plant in a pot or your yard and watch its progress throughout the coming season. And don't forget your spring cleaning!
