spring equinox

A country lane,
The hedgerow filled with birdsong;
What do they know?

Yesterday, as I took my morning walk, it was so cold I had to wear my hat, and my gloves. The cold didn’t seem to bother the birds in the hedgerows though.

The Spring Equinox falls today, Thursday 20th March. It signifies that both day and night are of equal length and it is sometimes seen as the first day of spring, although if the ancient calendar is followed then spring began at the start of February. Confused? Yes, the cyclical seasons have certainly changed since ancient times! And so have we, with all our technology!

However, let’s not get bogged down in technology but instead think about why the ancients celebrated this day! Day and night are of equal length, so light and dark are balanced. We can also imagine that the inner and outer worlds are stable, that is, the conscious and the unconscious realms. What about looking forward and backward with a balanced view?

What a great opportunity to celebrate and think of these things before summer activities take over our frenetic lives.

Ashley

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Plish, plash,
The bird bath overflows;
Spring rain.

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Spring rain,
Waters the earth;
Buds open.

Buds open,
Bright, in the dull day;
The spring equinox.

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Yes! At last the Spring Equinox has arrived, the time when day and night are of equal length. So for a few months, from now until the Summer Solstice in June, the light of day will increase.

In the Pagan tradition the day is known as the Festival of Balance; inner and outer, the unconscious and the conscious worlds are in balance. What goes on in our minds is reflected in our actions, so we should try to understand this perspective and use it to bring healing between ourselves and the outer world.

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It is a year since I began writing about and making a set of Celtic Tree Ogham sticks to sit alongside the eight festivals of the Wheel of the Year. For now, the last two trees that I shall write about, associated with the Spring Equinox, are Alder and Ash.

alder & ash spring equinox

Alder: Alnus glutinosa. Alder is the third tree in the Celtic Tree Ogham: FEARN. F. The Alder loves to be by rivers and streams where its roots come into contact with water. Its roots are able to fix nitrogen from the air and the wood is very durable when constantly wet. It has been used in building bridges and the piles in medieval cathedrals.

Ash: Fraxinus excelsior. Ash is the fifth tree in the Celtic Tree Ogham: NION. N. Known in Norse mythology as Yggdrasil, the Tree of the World, which links all the levels of existence. With its straight growth and grain, Ash makes good walking sticks and staffs. It also makes beautifully straight arrows for traditional archery and whilst Yew (Taxus baccata) is considered the supreme wood for longbows, Ash will make a very serviceable longbow.

Here is a photo of all the Ogham sticks I’ve made over the year. You will be able to see where there are gaps in my set. Left to right, the first ten are all there but there are five missing from the next set of ten. I am reliant on friends and colleagues to keep me posted when suitable wood becomes available and I will never just cut into a tree without first asking permission and especially asking the tree for its blessing.

ogham at 19-01-24

To finish this longer than usual post on a light-hearted note, I’m sure you will have guessed my favourite tree. Ash, of course! In Old English a ley was a meadow or grassland. Put the two together and I am a meadow with ash trees! 😉😂

Enjoy the Spring Equinox, this celebration of balance and awakening.

Ashley