Where is your True East and West? Spring Equinox is a potent moment to Re-orient

by Sandra Cosentino

Navajo ceremonial campfire

The vernal equinox comes, along with the full moon, on March 20, 2011—signaling the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere. On this day the tilt of the Earth’s axis and Earth’s orbit around the sun combine in such a way that the axis is inclined neither away from nor toward the sun.  Night and day are equal all over the earth.

Two Nuns in the 4 Sisters, a Sedona sacred site

Mimbres turtle bringing up clouds

The arc of the sun is coming higher for us in the North.  The long shadows of low angle winter sun are shortening. Birds and butterflies are migrating back northward along with the path of the sun.  For those in the South of our equator, the opposite is occurring, autumn begins.

If you want to orient yourself to true east and west, this is a great day to go outside around sunset and sunrise and notice the location of the sun on the horizon with respect to familiar landmarks.  Then, like our ancestral skywatchers, you can consciously note those points on your horizon.  This gives you a physical reference point in your world.  You see externally what your indwelling internal compass feels in orientation to our planet.

Seasonal turning points are known as propitious times for ceremony to create positive change.  If, like humans have done since dawn of Creation, you join with others in celebration of balance, you potentize cosmic energies that are present.  You align your human self with the Cosmos and this exquisitely beautiful planet we call Home. 

Astrologer, Cayelin Castell, believes this is a powerful spring equinox: “The upcoming March 20, 2011 Spring Equinox features a Full Moon perigee (closest to the Earth for 2011) just hours before the Equinox and a rare Zero Aries Sun Uranus conjunction just hours after the exact Equinox. This suggests a huge assemblage point shift for all of humanity and how we choose to engage this timing will help to inform that shift.”  She has posted a video with details (free).

I offer a suggestion for you:  Go outside on March 20, look, find true East and West in relation to your world at dawn and dusk.  Then breathe deeply, smile, and gift yourself with a timeless moment of inner-outer balance beyond the concerns of daily life.  May you sense harmony with the greater cycle of life and feel poised for a verdant spring sprouting.  Hope returns with the sun, the birds and your smile.