Get in the Mood…It’s SPRING!!

~~By American Lassie

SPRING – THE VERNAL EQUINOX
At 7:44 AM EDT today–Friday, March 20th–the sun will be directly over the Earth’s equator, ushering in the Spring season.

After so many long and wearisome months commiserating with family, friends, and other bloggers about this past election cycle and the state of the economy, etc., –just the state of the world in general– today I decided to ditch it all for a few hours, at least, and sit out on the balcony and watch a couple of birds building a nest on a ledge.  Since there were two of them at it, I would imagine they might be house sparrows.  I didn’t try to get close enough to determine markings, but it didn’t matter.  What mattered was the fact that there were other species in our world who don’t know, or don’t care, who is president, who is in his cabinet, how many times he’s on television, or what type fashions his wife wears, or any of the other items the MSM decides to notice on any particular day.  They are only concerned with the renewal of life and a home in which to live it. (Thank goodness they don’t have to worry about a mortgage.) And Providence will more than likely provide their food. (There is a lady in this building who collects stale bread and cake and the like from the other residents (me included) to feed the birds.

But back to the birds building their nest.  They tirelessly fly back and forth to the surrounding ground and back to the ledge with a twig or bit of grass or some such thing, preparing the nest for a new life.

I see small buds on some of the bushes and ornamental trees that will soon be leaves and flowers, and I marvel at the rejuvenation going on about me.  Even the (ugh) insects are beginning to appear.  They too, have a part to play in the scheme of things.

(Picture below courtesy of GRL — an ocotillo budding in southern NM, where Spring seems to come a little earlier…)

Budding Ocotillo

There is a semi-wooded area behind this building and every day several deer can be seen milling about, sometimes leaping, but usually just ambling around.  I’ve seen as many as five at one time and think to myself, “how carefree they seem, enjoying a daily stroll unaware of the turmoil that is going on around them just a few yards away.”  Back in their wooded area it is like another world.  It’s amazing how little oases like this are still possible with all the building encroachment going on in the area.  I understand that the area behind this building is part of a good- sized estate and the owner is a conservationist, which explains why the wild life is inside the fence.  From one of my windows I can watch them and on the days I’m not lucky enough to catch sight of them I feel I’ve missed one of the best parts of my day.

There are several species of trees back there.  Both evergreen and deciduous, so there is some green all year long.  I’ve misplaced my binoculars, so for the time being I have to be content to watch from a distance, but I’ll replace them so as not to miss the birds back there.

It warms the soul to watch Mother Nature renew the world with the miraculous restoration of plant and animal life.  The pictures GRL has posted the last couple of weeks started me ruminating on this idea, and one thing led to another –Did you ever have a song go around and around in your head and just couldn’t let it go?  The idea of Spring and the renewal of life began this song in my head.  It has a special significance for me.  It’s Cat Steven’s “Morning Has Broken” – music by Cat Stevens with lyrics by Eleanor Farjean.

MORNING HAS BROKEN

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the word.
Sweet the rain’s new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Spring in completeness where His feet pass.
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God’s recreation of the new day.
MUSIC AND VIDEO at the link below
www.allspirit.co.uk/morning.html

***

Vernal Equinox – (Spring Equinox) – “On March 20th, at precisely 7:44 AM EDT, the Sun will cross directly over the Earth’s equator. This moment is known as the Vernal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.  Equinox means “Equal Night” Because the sun is positioned above the Equator, day and night are about equal in length all over the world during the equinox.

Just about every culture known has some way of their own recognizing the Vernal Equinox – Spring.

In Christianity, Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox. (This year the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox fell on March 10th.)
It is no coincidence that the early Egyptians built the great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising sun on the day of the Vernal Equinox. (The Egyptian Pyramids are the only survivals of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.)

The first day of Spring also marks the beginning of Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
The Mayans’ celebration uses their ancient knowledge of the Sunbeam “El Castillo, the name of their great pyramid of the Equinox and as the sun sets on its western face, light and dark compliment each other creating a very special pattern of a diamond backed snake descending the pyramid.  This solar magic has always been known as “The Return of the Sun Serpent””
URL www.infoplease.com/spot/riteofspring1.html

Other names for the Spring Equinox are also “Abban Eilir, Eostar, Eostre, Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Festival of Trees, Lady Day, Now Ruz, No Ruz, Ostara, Ostra, Rites of Spring.

To Celtic Druids it is the time when day and night are equal in length .  “In Ireland the best known ancient Irish equinox temple is Knowth—– A second and older one found is Cairn T.  Both Knowth and Cairn T. allow a sunbeam on the morning of the Equinox to enter a passageway to light upon the sacred geometry on a back stone inside the temple.”

Ancient Judaism saw Passover dinner as spring fertility festival.

American Indians honored the Spring Equinox in landscape-sized temples.
“For the Greeks, the God-man of the Spring Equinox was Dionysus — associated with flowering plants and fruitful vines.”

Mesapotamia, Sumeria, Babylonia, Elam (5000 years ago) celebrated the start of their new year at the time of the Spring Equinox.  Zorastrianism was the religion of Ancient Persia until the advent of Islam 1400 years ago.  “NoRuz”, their new day or new year, was calculated on the Spring Equinox
www.druidschool.com/site/1030100/page/765341 -Celtic Druid Spring Equinox

National Agriculture day is also on March 20th. – www.agday.org