How to Celebrate the Spring Equinox - 9 Simple Ways
The Spring Equinox this year falls on 19 or 20 March 2024 (depending on whether you’re in the US or Europe). Equinoxes happen twice a year when the day and night are equal. There’s one in March and one in September, spring and autumn for those in the Northern hemisphere.
The word equinox literally means equal night, from the Latin words aequi and nox.
Halfway between the equinoxes are the solstices - one in June and one in December (summer and winter for those in the Northern hemisphere). The word solstice also comes from Latin roots and it roughly translates to ‘sun standstill’ or ‘standing still of the sun’ (from sōlstitium).
Celebrating the turns of the seasons connects us with the Earth’s cycles and, ultimately, our own nature. Despite the fact that most of us live in houses with central heating and have jobs which demand we’re equally productive regardless of the season (factors that can make us disconnected from nature), we’re intimately linked to the Earth’s energy shifts. We might not always notice these due to our modern lifestyle, but they’re there and we’re still a part of them. Understanding and taking the time to celebrate the equinoxes and solstices - the beginnings of the four seasons - can help us to deepen this connection and embody it in our daily life.
The Spring Equinox is a time of nature awakening. Renewal, possibility, hope, balance and inspiration are in the air. It’s a time of fertility, creativity and the return of life. As flowers begin to bloom and migrating birds return, our own heart begins to flutter. What seeds to I want to plant? Which flowers am I ready to see bloom? How does my inner nature feel right now - is it excited and filled with visions of the future, or do I need to spend some time looking inward and restoring my energy?
As the seasons shift, so might our own nature and grasping this is key to working with the equinoxes. Often, the two are in sync. In winter, we naturally have less desire to socialise or complete long to-do lists and, in summer, we’re busy bees and amped up for each day’s adventure. But, sometimes, our private, inner world might be different to what’s happening outside of us. Noticing and having grace with ourselves wherever we might be is important for living more naturally, slowly and mindfully. Joseph Campbell famously said, ‘The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.’ How your nature matches with Nature is up to you or, rather, up to a more subconscious part of you, working behind the scenes. Trust her wherever she leads you. Plant the seeds that feel right this spring, but hold on to the ones that aren’t ready yet and need a little more time behind the scenes.
Because the Spring Equinox is a natural occurrence, there aren’t any rules on how to celebrate. In other words, you’re free to make your own rules and rituals. As long as in your mind you hold the thought that spring is coming, and you do so with appreciation for the Earth’s cycles and all that she offers us, then you’re doing it right! Explore the ideas below, mix and match if you wish, and always come back to what feels like the right and true way to honour spring for you.
Here are 9 ways to celebrate the Spring Equinox:
Set intentions
Write down your intentions for the coming season and/ or the rest of the year. The energy of the Spring Equinox helps with having clarity, trust and strength when it comes to new beginnings.
Use the following prompts to help:
What do you envision for yourself as the year progresses?
What ideas are waiting to be realised?
What seeds do you want to plant and nurture?
If you set any intentions at the start of 2024, reflect on how these have progressed over the last few months. Use this time to re-commit or to change up any of these. If something’s working, make sure to congratulate yourself. If there’s a goal that no longer feels aligned, trust that it’s time to let it go and to give its space to what’s truly aligned instead.
Offer thanks to the Earth
Appreciating the abundance of nature and the support she gives us is one of the simplest yet most powerful ways to celebrate spring.
By tuning into gratitude, we uplift our own energy and we offer positivity to the world around us. We feel more connected with everything, which gives our life meaning and us a sense of belonging.
Use these to offer thanks:
Light a candle and spend a few minutes in quiet gratitude. You can make a fresh herbal tea as you sit in contemplation and appreciation.
Write a 'thank you’ letter to the Earth - let your heart pour out. You can write this in a journal or on a piece of paper that you leave on your window or desk overnight.
Invite others to sit in circle as you reflect on what you’re grateful for and what you’re ready to receive more of in life. By gathering with others, we can amplify our intentions and appreciation.
Make a seasonal meal
Eating and cooking seasonally is a great way to get in tune with nature and to live more slowly.
Find what’s in season where you live and pick a recipe that inspires you. Buy local ingredients where you can and make sure to have fun as you cook. Preparing our meals with presence, mindfulness and gratitude improves the food we nurture our body with - both energetically and taste-wise.
If you can, invite others to join you - both in the preparing and feasting. Celebrating in groups deepens our connection to everything around us and it’s how our ancestors observed the change in seasons. Put on uplifting music, plan games to play and share with those around you why you feel called to celebrate the Spring Equinox.
Plant something
As the plant kingdom begins to wake up, add to its abundance by planting something. It doesn’t have to be big - a flower in your garden or herbs in your kitchen will do.
Make sure to check that spring is a good time to plant your chosen seeds and, if you want results soon, pick something that flowers in summer. This and this can offer you some ideas and tips.
Buy flowers
If planting something isn’t realistic for you, buy or pick fresh flowers. Alternatively, or in addition to, buy herb pots to add freshness to your home and meals.
Try to buy local and in-season, honouring nature just as she is around you. In the UK, for example, tulips are in abundance right now.
By adding vibrancy and bringing nature indoors in this way, we add a spark to our surroundings. We uplift our mood and bring fresh smells and beautiful colours to our days. The colours that we have in our environment have a particularly big impact on our wellbeing and vibration. Notice which colours you’re naturally drawn to and choose flowers with these.
Clean and cleanse your home
Spring cleaning takes on a new sense here - it’s a way to celebrate Mother Nature and reflect her resurgence in our home. Tidy, clean and clear our what needs to be gone.
If this feels like a chore to you, explore changing your mindset to see it as a mindful activity for pausing from life and refreshing your space. A way to restore, reset and connect with your space.
If you have it, use sage or palo santo to cleanse the energy in your home. If not, then no worries - tidying and cleaning naturally improves the energy. Make sure to open windows and let the air ventilate for a few hours.
Learn about the Wheel of the Year
The Spring Equinox is just one of eight festivals in the Celtic, or pagan, Wheel of the Year. Connecting with each of them adds a new rhythm to our year and helps us to live in sync with nature throughout.
The Celts celebrated the start of the four seasons, marked by the equinoxes and solstices, and four ‘fire’ or harvest festivals in between:
Samhain - 31 October
Yule/ Winter Solstice - around 21 December
Imbolc - 2 February
Ostara/ Spring Equinox - around 21 March
Beltane - 1 May
Litha/ Summer Solstice - around 21 June
Lammas - 1 August
Mabon/ Autumn Equinox - around 21 September
For the Celts, the year started on 31 October (or to them, 1 November as their day began at sunset) and it comprised 13 months, each beginning on a full moon. Time was seen as circular rather than linear - a constant ebb and flow of light and darkness, rebirth and transformation.
Connect with the elements
Celebrating the equinoxes offers us a nature-based way of life. Connecting with the four elements is another way to deepen your relationship with the Earth and yourself, and tap into different energies.
The four elements are: Fire, Water, Earth and Air. Each represents different qualities and offers us unique inspirations:
Fire - related to our motivation, inner strength, transformation and passion
Water - related to our emotions, intuition, nurture and imagination
Earth - related to the material world, our resources, feeling grounded and building foundations
Air - related to our mind, creativity, change and curiosity
Spring is connected with the element of fire - the beginning and spark of all things. The Sun enters Aries, a fire sign, and the astrological year begins. Qualities of Aries include vitality, passion, strength and courage. It helps us with beginning new things, taking bold action and tapping into our sense of adventure.
Explore your own relationship with the elements. The words here are just as suggestions and each offers us much depth for self-inquiry and -knowledge.
Reflect on which element you feel most connected to first.
Then, reflect on how the element of fire impacts you and your life. Do you lack fire, or do you tend to have too much of it? Are there parts of your life that allow you to freely express, and others where you tend to hide?
Use the optimism of Aries and fire to understand yourself better and make any needed changes.
Spend time outside
The most simple way to celebrate the Spring Equinox is spending time outside. Stroll around, have a picnic, lay on the grass - whatever your heart desires. Look up at the sky, listen to the birds and admire the ground underneath your feet.
Make sure to place your bare feet on the Earth to receive her flow of electrons. This known as grounding or earthing, and is linked with reduced antioxidant activity and inflammation, improved mood and sleep, and better immunity.
Living in tune with nature doesn’t get any simpler than this. We might love to intellectualise her cycles and changes, but the best way to celebrate her is to simply be in nature and let her teach you directly.
Happy Spring Equinox! 🌷🌻🌏
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I hope you enjoyed this post and learned something new! If you’d like to know more about slow, natural and intuitive living, you can find other posts here and ways to work with me here.
