The Equinox & Ancient Cultures

March 20th is the Vernal Equinox, also known as the first day of Spring.

Wikipedia:

Equinox

One of the earliest markers of human civilization is the ability to comprehend & track the cycles of time.

Being able to predict the passage of seasons & celestial events gave people tremendous power to live in tune with the world around them.

All of the earliest monumental structures that survive from ancient times are astronomical markers that helped the priests and leaders of these cultures organize their society.

Synchronizing our lives to the cyclical nature of the universe has been a necessary function for surviving the climatic changes, hunting, agriculture, or social purposes. Because of the importance of seasonal markers, like the equinoxes & solstices, these events were given deep spiritual significance by our ancestors.

These are a couple articles exploring our ancient connection to the occurrence of the equinox.

The Spiritual Meaning of the Spring Equinox

NASA:

Exploring the Sun Through Ancient Civilizations

Ancient Origins.com

 How Ancient People Marked 

the Equinox Around the World

An ancient solar observatory in Peru.

Ode to Spring

Vivaldi- "Four Seasons-Spring"

I hate the cold weather.

That's why this weekend of pleasant weather was perfect to usher in the Spring season. Especially after a unusually harsh Winter on the East Coast, having Spring Fever feels especially good.

As I was cleaning my house today with all my windows open, I could also hear everyone else in the neighborhood- working outside, vacuuming from inside their houses, and hosing stuff down. It's great to be able to enjoy the fair weather again.

It's easy to see why all cultures throughout history have regarded Spring as a mystical time of rejuvenation & new life.

I've found some links explaining the historic importance of the Vernal Equinox, which marks the beginning of the Spring season:

"The March Equinox Explained"

"About the Spring Equinox"

"Spring Vernal Equinox"



Loughcrew Equinox - Ireland

His Holiness Saint Peter Rabbit

This wonderful season of the vernal equinox and the Resurrection of Life. Like all institutions, the holiday we celebrate as Easter has had a very interesting evolution which I've posted about before.

What most people don't realize is the hidden truth behind the Mysteries of Easter. Luckily, the masters of crazy wisdom at South Park have cracked the code:

Welcome Susanna!

Usually I don't post about my personal life here, but we were recently blessed with the birth of a new member of my family- my first niece, Susanna Sawyer. She was born on the vernal equinox, March 20, 2014.

Nothing makes you ponder the mysteries of Life more than a newborn child being brought into the world...

I already have 2 awesome nephews, Gregory & David. I love those kids, but being an uncle definitely helps me realize the difficulties that come with raising children!

My hope for Susanna is that she grows up happy & has a good life. She has a strong, supportive family, with plenty of older Dudes in her family who are going to be looking out for her.

Here's a pic of yours truly, Uncle Paulie, with little Susanna.

Also, here is the beautiful video my sister-in-law & her husband made of the event, using their new Ultra-HD video camera:

Summer Solstice 2010

Today marked the beginning of my favorite season, Summer.

Although I consider it to be "summertime" as soon as I can go outside wearing shorts, today marks the actual date of the longest day of the year- The Summer Solstice.

I found a couple interesting new articles about this sacred day & it's traditional astronomical significance.

Continuing to recognize dates such as an equinox or solstice is important for maintaining some sense of natural time. This fundamental aspect of the Life experience transcends the artificial time frames of the modern world, like the school year, business cycles, or the Gregorian calendar itself.

Huffington Post
"The Spiritual Meaning of the Summer Solstice"

National Geographic
"Summer Solstice 2010:
Why It's the First Day of Summer "

The website Secret Sun is dedicated to finding connections between astro-theology & modern culture. There was a post from today implying that the temporal relationship between Father's Day & The Summer Solstice is based on the ancient solar father-god archetype such as the Egyptian god Osiris.

The Royal Secret:
"The Raising of Osiris,
An Allegory of the Resurrection of the Sun"

Coincidentally, my Dad's birthday is today, and he was almost named 'Summer' since he was born on the Solstice. Thankfully he wasn't... because instead of Paul my name would have been Summer, Jr.!

Anyway, I guess the fact that I've always associated the beginning of Summer with both Father's Day & my Dad's birthday makes the idea of this synchronicity and its mystical connections more intriguing to me.

Mayan Pyramid of Kukulkan

In 2006, My family went on a vacation to the Riviera Maya in the Yucatan, Mexico.

While we were there, we visited the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza and saw the amazing art & architecture that the Maya produced.

The Monkey Buddha Archives:

 Trip to Chichen Itza

I took some pictures of the main pyramid at the Chichen Itza ruins, the Temple of Kukulkan. This was the feather serpent god, who was known as Quetzalcoatl to the Aztecs.

During the Spring equinox, the shadow of the pyramid stairs creates the illusion of a serpent descending the temple.

Also, when you clap your hands in front of the stairs, the echo sounds like the chirps of the sacred quetzal bird. It is truly an awe-inspiring piece of monumental architecture.

I added one of the photos of this magnificent temple to my Cafepress shop, in the Photography section. You can order prints, posters & other items with this beautiful, mysterious building on it.

The Monkey Buddha Bazaar:

"Mayan Pyramid of Kukulkan"

Origins of Easter

The History Channel has an informative and interesting section explaining the origins and history of Easter.

History Channel: The History of Easter

"8th-century English scholar St. Bede, believe it probably comes from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of Spring and fertility, to whom was dedicated a month corresponding to April.

Her festival was celebrated on the day of the Vernal Equinox; traditions associated with the festival survive in the Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored Easter eggs, originally painted with bright colors to represent the sunlight of spring."

Below: Representations of Eostre & Jesus, dieties symbolizing the revival of Spring.