Welcome! Spring Equinox!
We in the U.S. northeast—and in other parts of the Northern Hemisphere as well, certainly do welcome Spring this year, after the roughest, coldest winter in many years.
I have been remarking that it has been like the old days in New York City: snow piles that do not disappear for days, sometimes even weeks, and stretches of almost subzero weather.
But then there was this: The quiet beauty of the first snow as it begins to cover the area.
And later in the day bringing smiles to children’s faces as they roll in the snow or make snow angels with squeals of laughter; or building snowpeople as they enjoy real snow days off from school—even some of them free from remote lessons.
Impressive Snow Creature - February 23 Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY
Not everyone gets to enjoy the fun and the beauty.
All the while this year, as we approach this particular day of the equinox March 20, 2026, the temperature has been rising: last week to 60 and 70 degrees—and there were still patches of lingering snow piles in some areas.
My sister shows me they still have snow around their home on Long Island left over from the storms of a few weeks ago.
East Northport, NY: a few days ago, Monday March 16th
In Sweden, one of my relatives has called it a fifth season: SpringWinter!
And now the Spring—or Vernal—Equinox is happening today, March 20th at 10:46am, bringing the first day of Spring.
And just what is it that is happening? What is the science of an Equinox?
Twice each year the Earth pauses at a moment of balance. This year it is on March 20 at 10:46am EST: the point when day and night are nearly equal in length across the planet.
As the Earth travels around the sun, it does so at an angle, making the sun's warmth and light fall unequally on the northern and southern halves of the planet for most of the year.
But during the equinox, the Earth's tilt is neither toward the sun nor away from the sun, resulting in nearly equal amounts of daylight and darkness across the globe.
On the equator, the sun will be directly overhead at noon. Equinoxes are the only times when both the North and South poles are lit by sunshine at the same time.
The Equinox represents the liminal space between the cold dark winter and warm bright summer.
Equinoxes have been marked and celebrated around the world for centuries. In Japan, for example, Vernal Equinox Day is a public holiday. At the Mayan site Chichen Itza in Mexico, people gather during the equinox to watch the sun create a shadow pattern that resembles a serpent descending a pyramid called El Castillo.
The Spring Equinox is, in actuality, a “loaded” moment of balance. After the long darkness of winter, the equinox signals a subtle turning point.
It really tells a story about movement. Even at the moment when day and night appear equal, the trajectory has already shifted. For a brief moment the long darkness that was winter begins to turn toward spring.
From that moment forward in the Northern Hemisphere, daylight gradually grows longer each day. The sun rises earlier, sets later, and the path toward summer begins.
The changes at first are small. A slightly warmer afternoon. The faint tint of green on bare branches. The return of migrating birds. Crocuses pushing up through cold soil.
Life wakes up again in ways that are almost invisible until suddenly the landscape has changed.
The balance of the equinox also speaks to something deeply human.
Life rarely remains in equilibrium for long. There are seasons when darkness seems heavier—times of grief, uncertainty, conflict, or exhaustion. At other moments light appears abundant and hope feels close at hand.
For many Christians the spring equinox arrives during the season of Lent, the forty days of reflection and spiritual preparation leading toward Easter. Lent is a somber season, when Christians reflect on the pain of the Passion of Jesus. But it is also a season oriented toward the Resurrection of Christ.
Seen in this light, the equinox becomes a gentle guide to the Lenten journey. It reminds us that even when life feels suspended between darkness and light, the movement toward renewal may already be underway.
And the Earth offers us Her Wisdom in the Seasons.
The natural world teaches patience. Spring does not arrive all at once. It unfolds slowly, almost quietly.
A bud forms on a tree branch. A patch of grass turns green. A longer stretch of evening light invites people outside again. Each change is small, yet together they signal a profound transformation.
The equinox invites us to pause long enough to notice these subtle shifts. It asks us to consider where balance might be needed in our own lives—between work and rest, reflection and action, grief and hope.
And perhaps it encourages a deeper question: what seeds are waiting beneath the surface of our lives?
Could this be the invitation hidden in this small cosmic event—to notice the balance, to trust the unfolding season, and to believe that even now, in ways we cannot yet see, new life is already beginning? 🌱
In a world that often feels uncertain or divided, the equinox offers a different image: a planet turning steadily toward the light.
In closing, let us end as we began: with the powerful words of a visionary we have met before:
“Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love. And then, for the second time in the history of the world, humanity will have discovered fire.”
—Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
IN YOUR OWN WORDS:
Previous Post: “The Song of the Earth — Kathleen Deignan —Environmentalists Mini-Series #6” Written by Kathleen Deignan in collaboration with Anne Andersson March 12, 2026
—Inspirational — ER
—I really liked it! 👏👏👏 Very fascinating and accomplished women and men that you are spotlighting! ❤️—MA
—Beautiful voice —PH
—Hi Anne, I just 'attended' through Zoom a presentation with Kathleen. She was quite informative. I believe it was offered from Mariandale in Ossining, NY live.
You certainly provided a good deal more information about her and even more info regarding your friendship with her and work at Fordham. Such a small world! Blessings. —Maryanne
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