By Len Wallick
Music is immediate, it goes on to become.”
— W.H. Auden
The Sun calls on us to become. We reach the Vernal Equinox at about 7:21 pm EDT this coming Sunday. Earth is reaching one of the two points in its orbit where the axis of rotation is not tilted either towards nor away from the center of the solar system. When that happens, the direction of Sol’s incident light is perpendicular to the equator. At that time the entire surface facing the Sun is exposed to the light equally. Equator, equal, equinox.
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At the Vernal Equinox, the Sun enters Aries. Proceeding from that the next seasons go on to become: spring in the northern hemisphere, autumn to the south of the equator. On Earth the experience of the equinox is equal light. Not only equality between day and night but an equal amount of radiance and dark to every inhabitant of the globe. We also see the Sun rise and set at the midpoint between the northern and southern limits of its motion along the Eastern and Western horizons.
Over uncounted millions of years, life on this planet has become as a cycle in rhythm and harmony with the seasons. Our own kind, humanity, became as a part of those cycles. We developed a story to account for the rhythm, mythology. We also formulated a method to keep track of the harmony, astrology.
In the tradition of western culture, the mythology of how the rhythm of the seasons came to be is dominated by Ceres. The rage and grieving brought on by the abduction of her daughter compelled her to abdicate her role as the goddess of earthly nourishment and abundance. It looked bad for humanity as perpetual growth and harvest became interminable darkness, suffering and want.