The Glorious Balance of the Spring Equinox
/Excerpt from Before Your Future
“The motion of yin and yang generates all things in nature.”
—Meh Jiuzhang
Equinox means “equal night” in Latin, marking when the Sun and Moon fall into perfect harmony. All over the world the spring equinox—a glorious balance of twelve hours of night and twelve hours of day—brings forth the beginning of spring and the celebration of nature’s annual rebirth and regeneration.
Hatha yoga also strives for this harmony of the Sun and Moon in the consciousness. Ha (Sun) tha (Moon) brings the solar and lunar energies into yoga (union). The solar energy of the Sun, which is warming (pitta) and action-oriented, flows through the pingala nadi on the right side of the body, expressed through the right nostril. The lunar energy, which is cooling (kapha) and receptive and open to “what is,” flows through the ida nadi, left side, and left nostril. Yoga encourages the balance of these two polarities to bring about samatva, or evenness in temperament and harmony in body, mind, and consciousness.
Ayurveda also strives to balance the solar pitta (fire element) with the lunar kapha (water element) through the timely movement between the two, made possible by vata (air element). Ayurveda considers the spring equinox period one of the best times of year to begin our detox protocols. Like Mother Earth, our bodies also go through major biochemical transformations during this seasonal change. As warm weather melts the snow, our bodies begin to relax and the blocked bodily channels loosen up, becoming more receptive to allowing the easy elimination of toxins.
Vedic astrology is also based on nature’s cycles. Each moment of time contains a unique energy and destiny based on what the Sun, Moon, and the planets are expressing in nature. For example, in any given year there will be twelve full moons and twelve new moons, each producing their own unique destiny. Whether we are born on a new moon or a full moon matters, because our consciousness is stamped by that condition of nature at the time of our birth.
Most Hindu festivals also celebrate these movements of the heavenly bodies and their influence on our lives. The twelve new or dark moon nights of the year are called Shivratri (nights of Shiva), which fall on the thirteenth or fourteenth day of every lunar month. Shiva means void or “that which is not” and pertains to nature’s quieter side, when light is internalized. The most significant of the new moon nights is the celebration of Maha Shivaratri (the darkest night of Shiva), which falls in the months of February or March. This is the most somber of all Hindu festivals, celebrated through introspection, fasting, meditation, and all-night vigils.
Contrast that to the full moon of the spring equinox, just a couple of weeks later, which brings the Indian festival of colors called Holi. It is celebrated with dancing music, feasting, and the childlike play of smearing others with colored powder as well as drenching each other with balloons and water guns. Cars, rickshaws, and people regardless of stature or age are all targets on this day. As they say in India when someone is hit by a balloon filled with colored water or a powder bomb, “Bura na mano Holi hai! ” (“Don’t be offended. After all, it’s the joyous Holi festival!”)
Both the Sun and Moon can become guiding lights in our spiritual evolution when they live in harmony, side by side in our consciousness. Both can become hindrances in our spiritual evolution when either is used in excess over the other. Practice “equal night” all year round to extend the springtime and play with the colors of creativity.