A Seasonal Threshold in Melbourne/Naarm

A garden path in Spring

Hello creative alchemists,

Welcome to this Special Edition of the Art Witch Journal for the Spring Equinox.
Here in the Southern Hemisphere, the wheel of the year turns on Tuesday, 23 September 2025 at 4:19 am AEST.

In Melbourne/Naarm, we feel this shift deeply. The air softens, blossoms spill from branches, and there’s a hum of renewal in the streets and gardens. Wattles have already had their golden blaze, magpies are swooping to protect their young, and the air carries both warmth and the occasional crispness of winter’s retreat. The days are growing longer, the mornings a little brighter, and we find ourselves naturally leaning toward balance, hope, and new beginnings.

The Spring Equinox/Ostara: Balance of Light and Dark

The Spring Equinox is one of the eight Sabbaths on the Wheel of the Year, celebrated when day and night are equal in length. In the Celtic and Northern Hemisphere traditions, this is Ostara, named after the goddess of spring and dawn, Eostre. She was honoured as the bringer of fertility, rebirth, and growth, often associated with hares, eggs, and blossoms.

This is a threshold moment, light begins to overcome the darkness, the fertile ground is ready for planting, and communities historically gathered to sow seeds, bless fields, and celebrate the earth’s renewal. Bonfires were lit, feasts were shared, and rituals often honoured both sky and soil in equal measure.

For us in the Southern Hemisphere, the dates are reversed, but the energy remains the same. Our equinox falls in September, just as the first flush of true spring makes itself known, despite the fact we mark our seasons by the calendar. Trees unfurl fresh green leaves, bees return to blossoms, and the world feels infused with possibility. It is not just a seasonal marker, but a call to balance our own inner light and shadow.

Not Just a Date, Feeling the Energy of the Equinox

The equinox is more than a calendar point; it is a feeling that resonates through body and spirit. The ground feels alive with hidden energy, as though every root, bud, and creature is stretching awake. We may feel restless or inspired, ready to shake off the inwardness of winter. Creativity often stirs here, a desire to begin, to plant new projects, to craft with fresh intention.

It is also about balance, a reminder that light cannot exist without shadow, that rest is as essential as growth, and that our inner cycles mirror the earth’s. This feeling, soft yet powerful, asks us to pause and acknowledge where balance needs tending in our own lives.

Global Equinox Celebrations and Traditions

Across the world, cultures have long marked the Spring Equinox with rituals of renewal, joy, and reverence for balance. Though traditions differ, the themes remain universal: rebirth, fertility, and harmony.

Persia & Central Asia – Nowruz

Nowruz, meaning “new day,” has been celebrated for over 3,000 years as the Persian New Year. Families prepare a Haft-Seen table with seven symbolic items, garlic for health, apples for beauty, vinegar for patience, and wheatgrass for rebirth, among others. Bonfires are lit, people leap over flames to cleanse away the old year, and communities come together for feasting and music. Nowruz embodies the essence of the equinox: leaving behind darkness and stepping into the light of renewal.

India & Nepal – Holi

The festival of Holi often coincides with this season, painting the world in bright colour. It celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, love over division. Participants throw powders of vivid pink, yellow, and blue, drench each other in water, and dance in the streets. Holi is joyous chaos, a breaking down of barriers, reminding us that renewal comes not just in quiet planting but also in exuberant celebration.

Mexico – Ancient Solar Alignments

In Mexico, the equinox was sacred to the Maya and Aztec civilizations. At Chichén Itzá, the pyramid of Kukulcán transforms into a living serpent at sunset, the shadow forming the body of the feathered god as it appears to slither down the steps. Thousands still gather to witness this awe-inspiring moment, a breathtaking reminder of ancient astronomical knowledge and reverence for cosmic cycles.

England – Stonehenge

At Stonehenge, the rising sun aligns perfectly with the ancient stones, and modern-day Druids, Pagans, and earth-lovers gather in celebration. Some drum and dance, others meditate quietly, honouring balance in ways both personal and communal. This timeless monument links us back to ancestors who also watched the skies and marked the turning wheel.

Kulin Nation – Poorneet (Tadpole Season)

Here on the lands of the Kulin Nation, in southeastern Australia, the six-season calendar guides life more closely than imported European models. Around the equinox begins Poorneet, or Tadpole Season. As tadpoles appear in the waterways, life surges with fertility and transformation. This attunement to subtle shifts in Country reminds us that balance is not abstract, it is living knowledge, deeply woven into the land itself.

Across cultures, the message is the same: when light and dark stand equal, the earth is whispering an invitation to honour renewal, balance, and connection.

 A Simple Spell for Balance and Renewal

This spell is designed to be gentle, adaptable, and accessible for all levels of mobility.

• Light a candle (white or green if possible).

• Hold a small bowl of water.

• Whisper into the water what you wish to grow this season, intentions, dreams, healing.

• Pour the water into the earth or a pot plant, allowing your words to root and flourish.

Here, fire and water meet, intention and action merge. Even the smallest gesture becomes a potent act of planting balance within and around you.

Modern Ways to Celebrate the Spring Equinox

• Create a seasonal altar with blossoms, eggs, seeds, or stones representing balance.
  
  

• Take a mindful walk and notice spring’s return, new buds, birdcalls, the changing light.
  
  

• Plant seeds for herbs, flowers, or vegetables, aligning with your own intentions.
  
  

• Journal: What balance do I need? What is awakening in me?
  
  

• Share a seasonal meal with loved ones, the act of breaking bread is itself ritual.
  
  

• Clean and refresh your space, symbolically clearing winter’s heaviness.
  
  

• Bring fresh flowers or greenery indoors to honour life’s return.

Seasonal Altar

Spring Equinox Foods, Feasts, and Offerings

Equinox foods often centre around fertility and growth: fresh greens, eggs, dairy, honey, sprouts, and seeds. In ritual, offerings of mead, herbal teas, or fresh juices are common.

A Note for Australia

Here, our native flora and produce can also be woven into the feast. Wattleseed adds a nutty depth to baking. Finger limes sparkle like citrus jewels. Lemon myrtle lends brightness to desserts and teas. Using local ingredients honours both land and season, weaving old tradition into new context.

Simple Recipe – Lemon Myrtle Shortbread

• 1 cup butter (softened)

• ½ cup sugar

• 2 cups plain flour

• 1–2 tsp dried lemon myrtle leaves (ground)

Cream butter and sugar, fold in flour and lemon myrtle. Chill, cut into rounds, and bake at 160°C until golden. Fragrant and simple, these biscuits are a sweet offering for the season.

Locally Inspired Feast Ideas

A feast need not be complex. Try roasted vegetables dusted with wattleseed dukkah, fresh salads brightened with finger limes, or a platter of seasonal fruits, cheeses, and warm bread. What matters is not perfection but joyful celebration.

An Australian inspired Equinox Feast

 Art Journal Prompt for Spring Equinox Creativity

“What seeds are you planting this spring, in your art, your spirit, your life?”

Explore this visually: draw or collage seeds bursting into shoots, paint spirals of light and shadow, or layer pressed flowers and natural textures. Work with a colour palette of greens, yellows, and pastels to capture spring’s vibrancy. This page becomes a map of your own renewal.

Art Journal

Oracle Insights – 3-Card Spread for Balance and Growth

This spread invites equinox clarity:

1. Where am I finding balance?

2. What seed needs planting?

3. What energy will help me grow?

Light a candle, shuffle your deck, and draw three cards. Take notes in your journal, noticing how imagery and intuition weave with the season’s themes. Allow this reading to set the tone for the weeks ahead.

Oracle Card Reading

Spring Playlist for Ritual and Creativity

Every threshold deserves a soundtrack. This curated Spring Playlist offers songs for ritual, creativity, and daily life, weaving mood, energy, and inspiration. Whether you listen while journaling, cooking, or simply daydreaming by the window, let the music carry you deeper into spring’s unfolding.

Closing the Circle: Living the Energy of Equinox

The Spring Equinox is not just a fleeting moment; it is a season of unfolding. Balance honoured today can ripple into the weeks ahead, reminding us that growth and stillness, light and shadow, action and rest all belong to the cycle.

Wishing you balance, renewal, and creative unfolding this equinox.

Disclaimer on AI Images

Some images in this blog are AI-assisted, a tool I use to help manage energy and time due to chronic illness and disability. All written content and original art remain my own.