Auntie Moon

Vernal ~ “of, in, or appropriate to spring”

This ritual, or spring celebration, is way to note the change of seasons with simple activities throughout the day. The Vernal Equinox falls on Friday, March 20th, this year (2015), but even though you have to go to work, feed your family, and do all the other things that make up a life, you can still enjoy this day-long ritual. If it’s impossible to work into your weekday, have your celebration on Saturday or Sunday. If you can’t (or don’t want to) do each activity, just pick and choose the ones you like. The important thing is to acknowledge and celebrate spring.

Before the Equinox, create a bouquet of fresh spring herbs and flowers for your kitchen or to place on a table. Touch the herbs each time you pass the bouquet to stir up their delicious aroma.

Begin this day-long ritual by watching the sun rise. Time and Date calculates the date for any place. Set your clock so that you have plenty of time to work this beautiful part of the day into your morning routine.

Have eggs for breakfast. Even vegans can do this with vegan versions of various egg dishes. Eggs are a symbol of fertility, rebirth, and the very essence of life itself. A simple morning prayer or blessing said before the meal honors the day and the renewal of the Earth. A Springtime Prayer by George A. Tyger is a beautiful blessing for the day:

O’ power of springtime,
Spirit of green grasses
and warm breezes;
Goddess of creativity
of birth
of life renewed
You sing all about us at this time. (read more of this beautiful prayer)

Check the Sun’s path across the sky at various times of the day. If the weather permits, eat lunch outside noting the movement of shadows during your lunch hour. I love watching the shadows dance and move on the ground. It feels like the cosmic clock lays at my feet.

Have an evening meal of fresh spring vegetables, or consider breakfast for supper. My favorite spring fare is pasta prima vera. Fresh asparagus, squash, red peppers, onions, carrots, and anything else you like are piled high above a serving of pasta and marinara. If you make your own marinara, I promise you won’t believe how delicious it is. (A link to my favorite recipe follows.) Of course, there is nothing wrong with using your favorite bottled sauce. It’s your favorite for a reason ~ you like it! My favorite recipe is actually the recipe for my favorite bottled sauce.

You may enjoy repeating your morning blessing before your evening meal or at the end of the day. It’s another way to acknowledge the balance the equinox brings.

Watch the sunset. Watching the sun both rise and set is a lovely way to honor the balance of  this very special day.

During the course of the evening, light two candles ~ one dark and one light colored one ~ to represent Mother Nature’s balanced day. You can use one black and one white, dark blue and light blue, yellow and navy, any two colors that represent night and day. They would make a nice centerpiece for your evening meal placed on either side of your spring bouquet. Scatter light and dark stones around the candles, or add bunny or egg ornaments as additional decorations. Whatever feels right and pleases you, do it.

Extinguish the candles before going to bed, and dream of all the wonderful things that spring will bring.

At some point during the day, lay out a reading for spring using your favorite tarot or oracle deck or other divination tools. This is a time of year that I enjoy using flower, animal, or Earth based decks. They offer an added connection to the changing cycles of nature.

I hope you have a wonderful Equinox and a marvelous spring!

 Homemade Marinara for Pasta Prima Vera

This is my favorite marinara recipe. It’s easy to make and you can freeze some of it for later. Most canned tomatoes are too acidic. Citric acid is added to most. If your marinara is too tart, add a little baking soda pinch by pinch until it’s just right. Start with just a little and add more as needed. This is a great little tip I picked up when my sauce was too tart to eat. Do make this ahead of time as it takes a couple of hours simmering time.