The Rites of Spring and Moon Medicine Gathering with Kitty Maguire and Bronagh Gallagher on March 20

“The Spring Equinox opens the veil between the physical and the spiritual so that a resurrection in our lives can be inaugurated. The keynote of this season is creation. It is the drive to move our lives upward, like a seed pushing forth out of the earth into the air. The Spring is the time when the creative powers we have been nurturing through the winter can be expressed to initiate a new world of opportunities for ourselves.”
Ted Andrews, Nature Speak

Dear Blazers of Trails,

We are soon approaching The Spring or Vernal Equinox, when the sun rises in the east, travels across the sky for twelve hours and sets in the west. At this special time, day and night are equal, hence the name “Equinox” which means equal night, while “Vernal” comes from the Latin word for bloom. This year a full moon rises on the same day as the equinox which is auspicious for our upcoming Moon Medicine gathering at D-Light Studios on March 20 (scroll down for more intel).

Our ancestors lived in rhythm with the natural cycles and honoured this time with ritual and ceremony. There is so much wisdom and well-being available when we track and align with the seasons, rhythms and life force of nature around us and inside us. The Druids called this first day of spring Alban Eiler, which means, "Light of the Earth” and considered it a rare and magical time, being one of the two days in the year that night and day are in balance. Alban Eiler was associated with the "Rites of Spring", which had to do with the fertility of both plant and animal life. This is the time when the young sun god celebrates a sacred marriage with the young maiden goddess.

In Ireland, the megalithic sites at Loughcrew have some incredible engraved slabs of stone and at Cairn T the engravings interact with the light of the rising sun on the Spring and Autumn equinoxes. Loughcrew is also known as Sliabh na Callighe meaning the Hill of the Witch and is located at the northernmost point of Co. Meath. Humans have wandered this sacred spot for at least 5,000 years and somehow managed to record astronomical knowledge by building monuments capable of transmitting this intelligence to a culture thousands of years into the future. In 1980 a backstone was discovered positioned so that on The Spring and Autumn equinoxes, the rising sun casts light onto intricate designs carved on the walls of the passage tomb. Full moons which fall on or near the equinoxes also illuminate the backstone. This is the Sliabh na Caillí Equinox Stone, where the imagination of our ancestors are preserved in a ancient time capsule.

The monoliths at Stonehenge also mark the position of the rising sun on the Vernal Equinox and still serve as a place of ceremonial rituals each year. The Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it pointed directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the Vernal equinox. Some view this transition as a victory of a god of light (or life, rebirth, resurrection) over the powers of darkness (death). In Central America the Ancient Maya Caracol Tower and Temples of the Sun and Moon also have alignments that coincide with the sun's position on the Vernal Equinox. The Kukulkan pyramid at Chichen Itza becomes illuminated with a feathered serpent of light that travels down the side of the pyramid.

The Dance of the Opposites

So the Spring or Vernal Equinox is known as the day of equilibrium. This is a good time for us to consider the balance of our lives in work, play and relationships and to dive deep into the mystery of polarity. Marion Woodman the late great Canadian mythopoetic author, Jungian analyst and women's movement figure writes in Holding the Tension of the Opposites:

“Holding an inner or outer conflict quietly instead of attempting to resolve it quickly is a difficult idea to entertain. It is even more challenging to experience. However, as Carl Jung believed, if we held the tension between the two opposing forces, there would emerge a third way, which would unite and transcend the two. Indeed, he believed that this transcendent force was crucial to individuation. Whatever the third way is, it usually comes as a surprise, because it has not penetrated our defences until now. A hasty move to resolve tension can abort growth of the new. If we can hold conflict in psychic utero long enough we can give birth to something new in ourselves.”
Marion Woodman

The Rites

So, perhaps for you March 20 will be a day of quiet reflection and contemplation. You could create a Spring Equinox ritual by taking a meditative walk or pilgrimage to a special place. This could be a sacred site, chapel, monument or simply a place in nature which is calling to you. Another seasonal ritual could involve a good dose of joyful Spring Cleaning. You can learn a lot about tidying up from Japanese decluttering diva Marie Kondo. And of course you are welcome to come along and experience our Moon Medicine March gathering at D-Light studios which invites women to harness their inner power and reclaim their wild feminine nature.

Moon Medicine

“Moon Medicine - a lunar love in. Over the years The Trailblazery events have been the source for all sorts of new ideas but now they have come up with an ancient one...”

— THE IRISH TIMES, FEB 2018

Our March Moon Medicine gathering is particularly special because it reaches its peak on the same day as the Spring Equinox. Traditionally, the Moon we see in March is called the Full Worm Moon. At this time of the year, the ground begins to soften enough for earthworm casts to reappear, inviting robins and birds to feed—a true sign of spring. Roots start to push their way up through the soil, and the Earth experiences a re-birth as it awakens from its winter slumber.

We are super delighted that our next gathering takes place at D-Light Studios a converted warehouse in the heart of Dublin 1. Our special guests will be Kitty Maguire and singer-songwriter and actress Bronagh Gallagher. This will be an evening of womb wisdom, reconnection and reclamation. Kitty Maguire is one of the leading yoga teachers for women here in Ireland. She skillfully peels away the layers of taboos connected to women's bodies with humour and heartfulness. She has supported hundreds of women to release fear and nourish their bodies into their full magnificent potential. Women, Seasons, Cycles and Moons in Kitty’s words....

"This is a homecoming to your bloodline and an awakening of your source of true power. Together we will learn to nourish all of our women within as we connect to our inner seasons, moon and menstrual cycle. It's time to reclaim your power, embrace your potent energy and trust your wild and wise instinct."

For more Moon Medicine information and bookings click here.

We look forward to blazing trails with you in the near future.

With love

Kathy & all at The Trailblazery