Spring Equinox
The "Spring Equinox New Years occurs with the Vernal (Spring) Equinox, typically around March 20th or 21st (sometimes the 19th), marking nature's rebirth and the balance of equal day/night, celebrated by many ancient and modern cultures like the Persians (Nowruz), Assyrians, and Hindus, as a more natural start than January 1st.
Why the Spring Equinox?
- Astronomical Event: It's when the Sun crosses the celestial equator, bringing more light and warmth to the Northern Hemisphere, symbolizing new growth and renewal.
- Ancient Traditions: Many older calendars, including Persian, Hindu, and Assyrian, started their year with this celestial event, viewing it as the true beginning of the natural cycle.
- Symbolism: It represents balance (equal day/night), rebirth, and the perfect time to set new goals, unlike the middle of winter.
Key Dates:
- Vernal Equinox: Usually March 19, 20, or 21.
- Nowruz (Persian New Year): Celebrated on the equinox, marking spring's arrival in many cultures.
So, while January 1st is the common Gregorian New Year, the Spring Equinox is considered the "real" one by many traditions, symbolizing nature's true rebirth and the start of a new cycle.
The first day of spring, the vernal equinox—the season of renewal when the earth sheds its winter cloak, flowers bloom, and the heart feels as though everything is once again imaginable." – Galen Watson
Lighter mornings, warmer air, and the gentle sound of birdsong - we can already feel spring awakening all around us. We’re tucking away our winter coats, cracking open our windows and remembering what our sunglasses look like.
These simple joys remind us that we, too, are cyclical beings, moving in harmony with nature’s gentle transitions.
As the days stretch longer and nature stirs from its winter slumber, the Spring Equinox marks a powerful turning point - a moment to celebrate balance, reflection and renewal.
In the west, we often mark January 1st as the beginning of the year, setting new intentions and making lifestyle changes. But when you think about it, that cold, dark month isn’t exactly the best time to embrace new energy or start over. Winter is a time for stillness and hibernation, not for intense workouts and crash diets.
This is why the Spring Equinox is often considered the "real" New Year - a natural time to reset and welcome fresh possibilities. As the earth bursts into bloom, we too are invited to align with its rhythms, stepping out of winter’s stillness and into a season of vibrant renewal.
Ostara: The ancient roots of the Spring Equinox
The Spring Equinox, falling on March 20th this year, has deep ties to ancient traditions, particularly through the celebration of Ostara, a Pagan festival that honours the goddess of spring and fertility.
Ostara is a joyful occasion celebrating the renewal of life, as we move from the darkness of winter into the light and warmth of spring. It was a time for feasts, rituals, and the welcoming of new life - symbolised by blooming flowers, the birth of animals, and the stirring of the earth itself.
The Spring Equinox represents…
BALANCE
A period of the year when everything feels in harmony. As yogi and spiritual leader Sadhguru explains, on the day of an equinox, "All the influences of the planet are at an equilibrium." Day and night are equal in length, reminding us of the beauty of balance.
This equinox bids farewell to winter and invites us to embrace new possibilities, giving us the opportunity to experience rebirth in many forms.
REFLECTION
Many ancient cultures embraced the equinoxes as times for reflection and renewal. The Spring Equinox, in particular, was seen as a time to plant seeds - both literal and metaphorical.
It was the perfect moment to sow our intentions, whether that’s new personal goals, spiritual growth, or simply reconnecting with the rhythms of nature.
As spring continues its glorious awakening, we’d be wise to realign with the earth’s vibrations, remembering that we are part of nature and coexist with many other living beings.
Just as the earth begins to bloom, so too can our lives.
The Spring Equinox invites you to reflect - do I feel in harmony with myself and my surroundings?
RENEWAL
With nature awakening around us, we, too, feel the intuitive need for a shift.
Shedding the heaviness of winter requires intention. Traditionally, this is a time to cleanse, nourishing our bodies with lighter foods, fresh greens, and cleansing herbs. Movement becomes essential, encouraging circulation and energy flow as we step into spring.
Our spirits feel lighter, filled with excitement for what’s ahead. This transition isn’t just about the world outside; it’s a chance to nurture ourselves, physically and emotionally, and welcome the season’s renewed energy.
The Spring Equinox isn’t just another day on the calendar. It’s a celebration of life and all its possibilities. It’s a time to release what no longer serves us, nurture our bodies, and embrace the potential of the season ahead. The energy of renewal is everywhere, ready for you to step into it with intention.
The Lunar New Year
(February 17 2026)
When it comes to the lunar new year, we are soon transitioning from the year of the snake, and into the year of the horse.
What the Year of the Snake Represented
In Chinese zodiac tradition, the Snake is the sixth animal in the 12-year cycle, and its symbolism carries deep cultural and metaphoric meaning.
Core Themes of the Snake Year
✨ Wisdom & Intuition
The Snake is widely seen as a symbol of intelligence, clarity, and discernment. In cultural interpretation the Snake’s ability to sense its environment with precision reflects inner awareness and strategic insight.
✨ Transformation & Renewal
Snakes shed their skin as they grow, which makes them a powerful archetype for letting go of the old and stepping into something new and evolved. This mirrors spiritual processes of releasing outdated identities or beliefs.
✨ Subtle Power & Observation
Unlike more loud or dramatic signs, the Snake embodies a refined, careful strength — moving with purpose, not force. This invites quiet self-reflection and inner adjustment.
✨ Yin Energy & Softer Presence
In traditional East Asian systems, the Snake year — especially when associated with softer elements like Wood (as in 2025) — tends to emphasize receptivity, intuition, and flexibility over rigid striving.
In this way, the Snake year supported a collective inward turn — an invitation to deepen self-awareness, gather wisdom from lived experience, and shed what no longer serves our evolution.
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✨ What It Means That the Snake Year Is Coming to an End
As the Snake cycle winds down (around mid-February 2026), the symbolic momentum shifts from internal refinement and shedding toward expressive emergence:
1. Harvesting Inner Changes
Over the past months, many people have experienced:
• Increased self-awareness
• Reassessment of long-held beliefs
• Releasing old cycles of identity and conditioning
These reflect the Snake’s pulse of inner transformation.
2. Consolidation to Action
The ending signals that this period of quiet self-observation is ready to translate into outward movement — where inner clarity is integrated into real-world choices.
So rather than being a finale of closure only, the end of the Snake’s cycle becomes a threshold from becoming into expressing.
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🐎 What Comes Next: The Year of the Horse (2026)
Following the Snake, the next sign in the Chinese zodiac is the Horse, and energy themes shift accordingly.
Horse Energetic Qualities
• Forward motion & freedom
• Action & visibility
• Momentum & expression
• Courage to step into new territory
The Horse year strongly offsets the Snake’s internal navigation with external engagement — encouraging us to move forward with confidence and independence.
For the collective consciousness, this can mean:
• Taking inner insights into action
• Stepping boldly toward life directions that were previously unexplored
• Expressing personal truth in the world
This transition — from deep internal transformation (Snake) to outward expression and freedom (Horse) — reflects a natural rhythm of inner preparation followed by manifest movement.
The Year of the Snake was like a clearing space —
inviting awareness to deepen, illusions to dissolve gently, and inner intelligence to flourish.
As this cycle closes, we are moving toward an energy that encourages:
➡️ Stepping into clarity—not merely understanding it.
➡️ Translating insight into real-life expression.
➡️ Embodying transformation outwardly.
The weave here is natural:
first you refine, then you step forward.
In many spiritual traditions, this mirrors the impulse of the soul:
release → realign → express.
The Year of the Snake can be understood as a collective initiation inward.
Like a snake retreating into stillness to shed its skin, this cycle invited us to:
• Slow down enough to feel what no longer fit
• Release identities formed from fear, conditioning, or survival
• Develop discernment rather than reaction
• Trust quiet knowing over loud narratives
Much of this work happened beneath the surface.
Subtle. Internal. Sometimes invisible even to ourselves.
As this cycle comes to a close, the question is no longer “What must I release?”
It becomes:
“How do I live what I now know?”
This is where the Horse enters the archetypal field.
The Horse does not shed in silence—it moves.
It carries the body forward with confidence, rhythm, and breath.
It represents freedom embodied, not conceptual.
Collectively, we are shifting from:
• Inner recalibration → outward expression
• Awareness → embodiment
• Insight → movement
The wisdom gathered during the Snake year is now asking to be lived, not just understood.
Whichever New Year You celebrate or acknowledge...
Let this be your season to bloom.
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