Historical & Spiritual Meanings of Spring - Part 1

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Hello,

Spring & St Patrick’s Day are not far from us, even if for the people living like me in the North East or East of the States, we are having a very long and cold winter this year.

You already know and heard about this new beginning happening each year but are we not forgetting the true meaning of those dates, did we even forget the Spiritual meanings and historical meanings of them?

So, in order to introduce myself to those that don’t know me, I will write and explain about the Spiritual meanings of all these upcoming dates and Season.

“Spring is time of spiritual renewal”

“It is called the vernal equinox because modern understanding of the solar system was developed in Europe; first by Galileo. The order in the universe plainly arranges for human beings to enjoy nature.” This implies that the order in the universe has a purpose. It actually doesn’t. It is just there and we humans take advantage of it (also a consequence of the rotation of the Earth and its orbit around the sun). You could conclude that the order in the universe has “arranged” for us to “suffer” tornadoes, drought and blizzards.

Also not generally known is the fact that Easter did not originate with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Encyclopedias and dictionaries trace the term Easter variously back to Eostre, the name of the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring; to Eostur, the Norse word for the spring season; or to Ishtar, the ancient spring goddess of Near Eastern countries, also known as Astarte, or, in the Bible, Ashtoreth.

All are connected to the spring season and springtime fertility festivals that represented rejuvenation, reproduction and the life-enriching qualities of the sun.

Long before Easter became the holiday it is today, the Spring festival was celebrated by people around the world. Although associated with the Sun and the Vernal Equinox, this celebration was originally based on the lunar calendar. The Jewish festival called “Purim”, also celebrated in the Spring, has as it’s central character and heroine, “Esther”. Even the word moon is derived from the Sanskrit word “Mas” or “Ma”, meaning “to measure.” Many scholars have suggested that the reason the moon was chosen by the ancients as the way to measure time was the link between the female cycle and the cycle of the moon. A lunar month of 28 days gave 13 periods in 364 days, which was the solar equivalent of 52 weeks.

The ancient Hebrews had long followed a lunar calendar, as had most other ancient cultures thus humans could match their natural lives with the celestial nature of the night sky above them. As Christianity grew and spread throughout the world, it was a common practice to adopt, modify, convert or take over existing non-Christian festivals, sacred locations and even names, and assimilate them into the Christian theology. Because Eostre, also know as Ostara, was the goddess of Spring and her symbolism dealt with renewal and rebirth, the Christian belief in the resurrection of Christ fit well into these pre-existing themes.

Spring is the season to replenish the earth…. when trees bud and the planting of flowers for the upcoming bloom. A cosmic event that signifies the planet’s passing over our orbit around the sun. The spring air smells fresh after our winters hibernation. The feeling of the continued warmth from the sun, the longer days are all so invigorating. I think this is why the collective feeling of rebirth. The shedding of our heavy winter outerwear encompass all with a feeling of new found freedom.