CONNECTING WITH EARLY SPRING
& CELEBRATING THE SPRING EQUINOX
(around March 21st)
The plants have been resting out of sight and deep within Winter. They've been gathering potential for the next season. Some have died when the weather and their general health conspired to end their lifespan. Perhaps more goes on in the Winter of the soul than any of us can imagine. No wonder we feel elated when we see the first shy green shoots of a snowdrop. "Now here, here is the beginning," we might think. This is not true, of course. The beginning was long before these signs.
- Gunilla Norris, A Mystic Garden
Early Spring
From Theresa: Winter can seem endless. Sometimes I feel defeated, as if this year, maybe Spring won’t come. Then, one weekend I am up early enough to see the sunrise, and realize how far East it has moved- proof that the days really are getting longer and warmer, even if snow still covers the ground:
Winter Solstice sunrise behind pine tree, Dec. 21st
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Feb. 22 sunrise further East, 2014
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Sunrise near Spring Equinox, on March 23, 2014. Proof the days are getting longer.
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Then, we finally have the first warm day. It’s only in the low 40s (degrees F), but compared to below zero temperatures, it feels like a heat wave. I take off my coat when I go for a walk at lunch. Water is running everywhere, down the streets, down the sidewalks, down the gutters, carrying away the sudden gush of melting snow, gurgling and singing to that deep part of me that is also slowly being released by Winter’s hold.
Most days start to get above freezing, and I ache with impatience to be outside. I see patches of grass, but the larger piles of snow stand stubbornly against the warming Sun, and what ground is bare remains soggy with mud- too wet for walking. Everyone seems to complain about this as much as they complained about the freezing cold and snow only a few weeks ago. But I know Spring has arrived, because we’ve begun tapping our walnut trees. There may be snow on the ground, but the sap is rising in the trees, waking them up, preparing them to leaf out, and gifting us with liquid to boil down into sweet, sweet syrup.
Most days start to get above freezing, and I ache with impatience to be outside. I see patches of grass, but the larger piles of snow stand stubbornly against the warming Sun, and what ground is bare remains soggy with mud- too wet for walking. Everyone seems to complain about this as much as they complained about the freezing cold and snow only a few weeks ago. But I know Spring has arrived, because we’ve begun tapping our walnut trees. There may be snow on the ground, but the sap is rising in the trees, waking them up, preparing them to leaf out, and gifting us with liquid to boil down into sweet, sweet syrup.
Mud- not necessarily pretty, but one of the earliest signs of Spring.
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We can tap our walnut trees for syrup as soon as the days get above freezing, in Feb. or March.
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I begin to walk around outside every day after work, watching for signs of Spring. The narrow strip of yard on the southwest side of our house is our Spring garden, where the snow melts first. The previous owners planted daffodils and tulips there that continue to bloom cheerfully every year. I’ve added Spring ephemeral flowers that bloom even earlier, in the sunshine that’s present before the trees leaf out. The Spring garden becomes my focal point this time of year, letting me be certain that warmer weather is returning, in contrast to the garden on the northeast side of the house, that remains snow covered for quite some time.
Spring Garden- Southwest side of the house on March 22, 2014. It's almost time for flowers to start sprouting.
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The northeast side of the house also on March 22, 2014. This garden still has piles of snow.
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I await the first blooms, so I can rejoice, along with the bees, over their beauty and miraculous rebirth. I await the first day I can open the windows, clear out the stuffy Winter air, and watch the cats run ecstatically from room to room, sniffing the new Spring scents. I await the first day I can walk through the yard without leaving footprints in the mud, and the gardening can begin. I yearn to know in my every cell that Spring is definitely here to stay.
Native hepatica, the first flower to bloom in our yard, sometimes by the end of March.
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Native bloodroot, second to bloom in our yard, for which the bees give thanks.
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Spring Poetry by Mary Ann Rasmussen:
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Sodden garden soil
April showers melting snow muddy shoes on steps. |
Beads of April dew
ivory pearls on bloodroot under budding trees. |
Celebrating Spring Equinox: around March 21st
Spring Equinox altar, 2014.
Mom's deviled eggs.
Yes, you can balance an egg on its end on the Spring Equinox (and on any other day).
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The Spring Equinox occurs around March 21st each year. After the Winter Solstice in December, which was the shortest day of the year, the length between sunrise and sunset lengthens each day, until at the Spring Equinox, day and night are of equal length. After the Equinox, the days will be longer than the nights, leading us into the warmth of the Summer.
Because in our hemisphere at this time of the year the Earth is awakening after a long Winter, the Spring Equinox is associated with resurrection and rebirth in many religions and cultures. In pre-Christian Germanic Europe, the Goddess of Spring was Ostara. I picture Her as a maiden dressed in green, whispy robes, walking through the fields and leaving a trail of blooming Spring flowers behind Her. Her consort was the white Hare (a type of rabbit), who gifted Her with colored eggs and has become the secular symbol of Easter in this country. Eggs are associated with this season for many reasons. Eggs, being an actual new life, are the perfect symbol of resurrection. I read about another way they symbolize Spring: Take a boiled egg, crack the shell, and peel it away while imagining the shattering of Winter’s icy hold. Peel away the egg white, while imagining the snow melting. You are left with the round yellow yolk, a perfect symbol of the returning Spring Sun. Eggs are also appropriate to Spring because after the Equinox, birds can get the 12 hours of sunshine that they need each day to start laying eggs. I haven’t yet gotten myself to stop eating eggs during the Winter (hens are forced to keep laying with artificial lighting), so I can’t properly appreciate how wonderful it must have been for our ancestors to have this source of food again after a long Winter. I seldom feel a need to mark the Equinox with any specific ritual, because I’m so in tune to what is happening outdoors at this time of the year as I watch the garden awakening, that I don’t need any specific rituals to help me connect with the season. But I do like to celebrate with eggs. This is one of two times during the year that I make my mom’s deviled egg recipe. It’s also fun to try to balance an egg on its end, as a symbol of the balance between night and day. This is not an impossible task. I've seen it done by many people at an equinox event I used to coordinate. Eggs aren’t actually as smooth as we think they are. They have little bumps on the surface that will help you, along with some patience and steady hands, balance them on their ends. Use raw eggs, and if one doesn’t work, try another. And then take a picture so you can prove to your friends you did it. I have loved dying eggs since I was a child. I learned how to use natural dyes many years ago, and continue to dye a few eggs with red cabbage each year. I am amazed anew each time I take the blue eggs out of the pot of red cabbage. It’s an easy process. Put some raw eggs (white eggs will show the best color) in a pot of water and add a lot of sliced red cabbage (green cabbage doesn’t work). Put in a couple tablespoons of any type of vinegar to help the color set, and boil the eggs until the cabbage has softened and turned the water purple. Let the pot sit overnight, and in the morning, fish out the blue eggs from among the bits of red cabbage. Amazing. |
Making Blue Eggs with Red Cabbage:
1. Put some eggs in a pot of water. White eggs will show the best color.
3. Boil until the cabbage has softened and released the purple color into the water. Let sit overnight.
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2. Add sliced red cabbage and 2 tbsp of any vinegar to set the color.
Eggs after dyeing with red cabbage.
As Bear says, "Damn, those are really blue." |
Bear can always be counted on to get into the spirit of the season.
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A Prayer for Spring Equinox
Spirits of East, Element of Air, of dawn and new beginnings, thank you for bringing Spring back to us. Spirits of South, Element of Fire, of the Sun, thank you for bringing longer and warmer days. Spirits of West, Element of Water, thank you for melting Winter's snow and ice. Spirits of North, Element of Earth, thank you for awakening the seeds and plants buried within. Spirits of Center, Lord and Lady, thank you for filling us with Spring's playful energy. Blessed Be. |
Spring in the garden
rhubarb pushing through the earth pie for dinner soon. - Mary Ann Rasmussen |
Books for Spring:
Nature's Sketchbook: a Collection of Personal Reflections and Illustrations by Marjolein Bastin, 1994Marjolein is my favorite Nature artist. Her incredibly detailed water colors capture the birds, bees, insects, and plants of the natural world in all their amazing beauty. Although this book includes all the seasons, it's great to look at when you're yearning for Spring. Linnea's Windowsill Garden and Linnea's Almanac by Christina Bjork and Lena Anderson, 1988 & 1989, R& S Books These aren't just about Spring either, but when you're hankering for green, growing things, these wonderfully illustrated children's books will lift your spirits. Bear recommends: How To Grill: the Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques and Recipes by Steven Raichlen This book taught him how to grill and Spring is the start of grilling season! Music for Spring: Winter Into Spring Piano solos by George Winston Windham Hill Records, 1982 |