Deborah Lipp

I’m having an ironic first day of Spring here, as it’s snowing out.

The equinoxes have a poorly-formed tradition in most of the Pagan community, and I don’t know if I’ve ever attended a really dazzling Spring Equinox or Fall Equinox ritual. (I’m talking community rituals, here, not oathbound Tradition stuff.) For six of the eight holidays, there is plentiful folklore and a rich and varied ritual tradition throughout Neopaganism. The equinoxes, not so much. Fall tends to be a Thanksgiving sort of thing, “Harvest Home,” but both the festival before and after are also harvests, and have other distinctive and beautiful features.

Spring equinox, which some call Ostara, tends to be a bit of a piggyback on Easter. Colored eggs and all that. Which is fine; Pagan holidays and Christian holidays are often related. But the colored eggs don’t figure prominently in ritual behavior—no egg hunts under the High Priestess’s robe, although hey, that’s a thought.

In much Western occult tradition, equinoxes are considered unlucky. Balance is always sought in magical work, but healthy balance is dynamic and fluid. Perfect balance is stasis, so on the equinox, change cannot be effective. Initiations and marriages are not performed.

Spring equinox is when we plant early seeds. Where I live, peas are ideal, as they are harvested about the time other planting is done. If you use starter seeds (rather than planting from seedlings), they should be started now in temperate climates. My normal spring equinox ritual is a consecration and planting of seeds, and this can be quite beautiful (despite my grumpiness).