On Sunday March 20th at 4:21pmPDT, the center of the Sun was in the same plane as the Earth’s equator. This is known as the Vernal Equinox, from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night). At this moment night and day are approximately equal all over the Earth. In the so-called “Tropical” (western) zodiac, the Vernal Equinox coincides with the Sun’s entry into Aries. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, a fire sign symbolized by the Ram. The Ram is enthusiastic and confident, but also somewhat impulsive and impatient. All of the signs of the zodiac are associated with parts of the body—Aries rules the head. During the Sun’s transit of Aries we tend to be a bit headstrong, like the Ram.
Spring is the time for beginnings—the sun is shining, the birds are singing, flowers and trees are blooming, and the sap is rising. As the days lengthen, our vitality increases, along with the desire to spend more time outdoors and step up our level of physical activity. As the weather warms, perhaps we also begin to shift to a lighter, less caloric diet.
This is the time for spring cleaning—not just our closets, but our bodies as well. It’s a great time to practice ashtanga yoga, to channel our rising energy into practice as a rite of purification. The fiery energy of Aries is perfect for creating “Tapas”—the purifying fire of good sadhana. On the subject of Tapas, Patatanjali says, “Kaya indriya siddhi asuddhi ksyat tapasah”—the sacred fire removes impurities and brings mastery to the body and the sense organs. Tapas is the crucial first stage of sadhana. Without it the body accumulates impurities and becomes tamasic—heavy and sluggish, the sense organs grow dull and the mind becomes clouded. Tapas leaves us in a state of heightened awareness. The windows of perception are washed clean and we see the world with new eyes, hear it with new ears, and feel it with new skin. In this state of heightened awareness we become much more discerning regarding how we feed our sense organs. One of the manifestations of this is naturally gravitating towards a lighter, cleaner diet. We begin to make a shift from regarding our sense organs as organs of gratification to treating them as organs of perception. Our bodies and minds are happier as a result.
We get a little reprieve from this fiery, headstrong energy on Saturday March 26th when the planets Venus and Neptune are conjunct at 30 degrees Aquarius. This conjunction happens just once a year and promotes the highest and purest spiritual love. It’s a great aspect for imagination, creativity, poetry, music, and art. A few hours after this conjunction, Venus moves into Pisces for the next 25 days. Venus in Pisces is in the sign of its exaltation. Here the love principle reaches its high point of evolutionary development. During Venus’ transit of Pisces we all become a bit more empathic, sensitive, and romantic, as well as a little more charming and attractive. Enjoy it while you can!
"f the doors of perception were cleansed every Thing would appear to man as it is, infinite." Hooray for the Season of Poetry!
Posted by: Bobbie Jo Allen | 03/22/2011 at 07:28 PM