Not very interesting.

Neopagan:

Traditionally, this is one of the four Major Sabbats.

The four majors are: Samhain, Ibolc, Beltaine, and Lughnasadh.  These are known as the ‘cross-quarter’ dates, because they lie between two a solstice and an equinox.  The dates I use are from http://www.archaeoastronomy.com/2007.shtml, which calculates the midway points between the [...]]]>

Astronomically:

Not very interesting.

Neopagan:

Traditionally, this is one of the four Major Sabbats.

The four majors are: Samhain, Ibolc, Beltaine, and Lughnasadh.  These are known as the ‘cross-quarter’ dates, because they lie between two a solstice and an equinox.  The dates I use are from http://www.archaeoastronomy.com/2007.shtml, which calculates the midway points between the solstices and equinoxes as measured in degrees along the ecliptic.  The four Minor Sabbats are the ‘Solar’ Sabbats, the equinoxes and solstices: Yule, Ostara, Litha, and Mabon.

At Lughnasadh, the Sun Kin is sacrificed.  He faces the mortaility that was implicit when he first took the Goddess to his bed.  Although he reigned supreme at Litha, his time on the throne has taught him the compassion needed to offer himself for the betterment of his people; his blood upon the fields ensures the fruitfulness of the harvest.

The Goddess is present in two of her Aspects: Mother and Crone.  She appears as the Crone with her sickle to cut down the God, and she mourns him as the Mother.  This is the first appearance of the Crone aspect in the wheel of the year.

The willing sacrifice of the Sun King is an allegory of our own acceptance of mortality.  Knowledge of our death is the price of consciousness, but death can and should be faced with calm and reason.  Death is, after all, only a transition from one state to another, not an end.  For his part, the God gives up his life on Earth for a throne of his own in the Underworld, as we see at Mabon.

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This is one of those great stories that I wanted to preserve forever with this blog.  Heh.  Follow the link above, or I’ve copied the text below against the possibility that the author’s website will disappear.

By Paul Ford

A story about the Google of the future.

Just reinstalled after a complete blog blank that took out 5 years of writing and personal history.  It’s entirely my doing – it’s what I get for not instituting a proper backup policy.  Still, there was a lot there I’m sorry to have lost.   Expect changes and random outages for a little bit.

“Why not?” Mina raised the gun, aiming down the sights. Slowly, deliberately, she angled it to point at his groin.

His eyes widened briefly, then he smiled. “I’m a vampire.”

“Yup. ‘Course you are.”

He took a step toward her.

“Ah ah ah. No [...]]]> “You can’t possibly mean to hurt me with that weapon.”

“Why not?” Mina raised the gun, aiming down the sights. Slowly, deliberately, she angled it to point at his groin.

His eyes widened briefly, then he smiled. “I’m a vampire.”

“Yup. ‘Course you are.”

He took a step toward her.

“Ah ah ah. No closer, if you like your nubblies where they are. In fact, you should probably just back out of the room.”

“Nubblies?”

She shrugged. “Family jewels. Beans and weanie.” She flicked her eyes to his. “Cock and balls. Call ‘em what you like, they’re mine if you don’t get out of here.”

“This is ridiculous. You can’t kill me with a gun, and we need to go. Now.”

“I’m not in the habit of following crazy people to my grisly doom. That vampire bit was definitely not the way to get my trust here.”

Marcus resisted the urge to snarl. With preternatural speed, he dodged across the office, stopping with his legs against her desk. To his surprise, she tracked his movement with the weapon. She moved her aim to his head, her eyes wide and panicked.

“Woah. That was fast.”

He grinned and reached for her.

“Stop!” She yelled at him and backed up.

“Dammit! We don’t have time for this!” He ran a hand through hair. “What can I do to get you to trust me?”

She twitched her head and thought for a moment. “Do the teeth thing.”

“What?”

“If you can do the teeth thing at will, under my scrutiny, I’ll accept you’re a vampire and not just crazy.”

Now I’m off to get sauced on dessert wine.

Astronomically:

Today, Day and Night are equal – sort of. (Because the Sun becomes visible before it is actually above the horizon, this day is not an equilux.  Darn refraction of the atmosphere!)

The Earth’s equatorial plane and the plane of the ecliptic (the plane of our orbit [...]]]>

7:70 PM (EST) 20 March 2007

Astronomically:

Today, Day and Night are equal – sort of. (Because the Sun becomes visible before it is actually above the horizon, this day is not an equilux.  Darn refraction of the atmosphere!)

The Earth’s equatorial plane and the plane of the ecliptic (the plane of our orbit around the sun) are aligned. (The Earth is upright!) Today the sun rises exactly in the East and sets in the West. From now until the Solstice, the equatorial plane tilts further and further South, causing the Sun to appear to head North – it will seem to rise in the ENE instead of the East. The Northern Hemisphere gets warmer as we receive an increasing % of the Sun’s thermal energy.

Wicca/Neopagan:

Well, it’s Spring, right?  Today, the young God and the Goddess in her Maiden aspect make like horny teenagers in the woods.  This may sound like a crass description, but sexuality is viewed with a frankness and joy that makes such a reference appropriate.  Besides, where do you think the eggs and bunnies come from?

Equinoxes are points of equilibrium; they are tipping points. Both chemistry and thermodynamics teach us that equilibrium does not mean a system is at rest, no does it mean an inactive state. Equilibrium is the state in which all possible processes are occurring at once in equal measure. The net effect is that no change occurs, while much churning happens within the system. It’s because of this that many people feel uneasy or out of sorts during an equinox. All paths are equally possible now, with a certain predisposition toward increase or growth.  In all ways, this is a wonderful time for new beginnings.  Plant seeds and seedlings.  Start a new business venture, execute plans you’ve made over the winter.