Spring Equinox: Seed Spells and Willow Whispers

Now is the time to prepare your ritual for the spring equinox.

At the cusp of spring the sleeping roots stir, slowly awakening.
Rising from the cathonic burrow of winter dreams, sap ascends from brumation in serpentine fluency; slipping from roots to trunk to limbs.
Bursting into the fresh green shoots, unfurling leaves, pollen dusted boughs and spring blossoms.
Seeds begin to crack open stretching tender roots into soil after a winters rest. The first floral oracles appear whispering love spells to the bees on sweetly scented air.
If we press our ears to the thick milky moon petals of Calla lily and blushing Magnolia, they murmur in the tongue of Flora, goddess of flowers. The voice of spring speaks in verdant tones.
Nettles promise of tingling fingers, and Chickweeds spell of soft soothing. Golden swaths of Mustard, and the egg yoke faces of Narcissus dance to the song of the golden suns return.
May we answer in incantations of encouragement to each blossom that braves the lingering frost filled mornings; pressing our fingers into warming soil to trace symbols of adoration to the seeds below.
May we sing to the serpents rising at the suns return; and hum with the bees as they blend pollen into sweet bee bread.

The Spring Equinox

At the Spring Equinox we find ourselves at the liminal knot between winter and summer. When the day and night sit in equal balance before the sun begins its return.

While the Fall equinox held the energy of twilight before our path into the dreaming dark of winter, the Spring Equinox holds the energy of dawn and our awakening from the visions of winters rest. It is a time to stretch our limbs like the roots that are beginning to wiggle deeper as the soil warms. To gather the dreams, prophecies, and plans laid out by the winter hearth and plant them into the soil to grow. It also marks the official start to spring, as the sap rises from the roots into the aerial parts of the plants.

A Ritual for Spring Equinox

Spring is the time when Persephone returns from the underworld as Kore, a goddess of spring, bringing with her the blooming and blossoming of living things. In many places this is the time when starting seeds (either indoors or out) becomes possible.

In elemental terms, the seed represents fire in its spark form. That first fleck of flame that ignites into the full ripe fiery force we approach at Summer Solstice. For within, even the tiniest seeds lives all that is needed for the entire plant to grow.

Starting seeds as a ritual for Spring Equinox is my favorite way to engage with the energy of spring. Whether you have a farm, backyard garden or sunny windowsill, starting a seed is simple yet potent seasonal ritual.

Painting symbols or writing intentions onto your seed trays and pots is a sweet form of springtime sympathetic magic. This may sound familiar to the Easter tradition of painting eggs!

In old folk magic from various parts of Europe, eggs were marked with symbols and buried in the earth at this time of year to call in fertility for the land and future harvests.

Plus eggshells make for a wonderful biodegradable seed-starting cup.
Simply crack and clean the eggshells, poke a drain hole in the bottom with a needle or toothpick, add soil, and plant your seeds.

Paint symbols, or write intentions onto your shells or pots, whisper words of love and encouragement and watch your seedlings grow.

Willow Veil Tender

At the Spring Equinox we are again slipping into a moment of liminality, and the veil between worlds becomes thin.

To navigate the watery betwixt and between times, I reach for plants that sit at the boundary between worlds.

Willow, with roots often found in or near water, and flexible limbs dancing in the air with the sylphs, is a mercurial boundary dweller who bursts into bloom at this time of year.

Working with flower essence of Willow helps us stay rooted and strong while allowing flexibility and fluency of mind and spirit. I like to take a little dose each morning. This helps me start the day with the flowing ripeness of spring, and put a drop into my watering can before watering my seedlings to give them the same energy.

Image: Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale ‘With goodly greenish locks, all loose untied’

Author Bio:

Sami with Cinder Botanica. Sami is a clinician at our Community Herbal Center and uses bees, herbs, and a deep connections to the cycles of the planet in her regular herbal practice.

You can contact her to schedule an appointment by emailing clinic@berkeleyherbalcenter.org or find her on Instagram @cinder.botanica.