The spring equinox marks the arrival of a planetary journey of massive proportions...
At this juncture, darkness and light own equal parts of the day, and the sun rises in the east, travels across the sky for twelve hours, to set in the west.
The spring equinox heralds the sun out of Pisces, into the sign of Aries, where new growth can take place, and our dreams, visions, hopes and hallucinations are being called upon to take form in the physical.
If we examine the natural world, we can see that what has been gestating throughout the winter is ready to come alive into its glorious fullness. Seeds push forth and break free from the earth into the air.
The spring equinox unfastens the liminal veil between physical and spiritual realms, so that rebirth and resurrection in our lives can occur. ‘Nothing’ reveals itself to be everything, and in a single moment, death turns into life, and the inconceivable into unchallenged potential.
Many people use this time to clean their basements or their inboxes. Which is fine, but...
If you hadn’t noticed, the vernal equinox is the Super Bowl of cosmic meaning!
As a gestalt therapist, the vernal equinox reminds me of the concept of polarities: definitional opposites that depend on each other, can sometimes define each other, and always work interdependently.
The spring equinox invites us to examine the universe of polarities that lives within us.
What is your inner darkness like? Your shadow? What puts you to sleep, keeps you in the dark, checks you out, or blacks you out? Where is your chaos, your rage? And then again, where is your light? Your inner sunshine, the beams of luminescence that yearn to escape? What stirs you, tunes you in? Where is the order to your chaos? The gentleness to your roar?
Now go one step further. Where have you created, or are participating in polarities within your relationships. Who is the always to your never? The frost to your flame? What feels possible in your partnerships? And what feels completely out of reach? How are you impacted by these opposites, and what if you tried something new?
Your path to awakening should involve something more than an alarm clock.
Thankfully, solstices and equinoxes promote very specific evolutionary needs. Allow this vernal equinox to be one of initiation into a stage of realization and reawakening unto yourself, using the balance of polarities and opposition to create anew.
Pilar Dellano MA, MFT Intern, practices in Berkeley and San Francisco. To read more, go towww.sanfranpsych.com