🌄The final New Moon of the astrological year♓

🌱Plus musings on the upcoming Spring equinox and Tulipomania🌷

Blackthorn blossom

Dear one,

How is March treating you so far? As we sit on the cusp of Astrological New Year and in the shadow of February’s extra day to make 2024 a leap year, I feel called to muse on the construct of linear (or Chronos) time as reflected in the 12 month Gregorian calendar, versus the much more magical vertical (or Kairos) time, through which we are invited to live in a cyclical way.

The 12-month solar calendar as we know it was widely adopted in 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII decided to add 10 days to its predecessor - the Roman calendar - to ensure that Easter would fall in the Spring months of March or April each year.

The reason why Easter shifts each year is because it falls on the Sunday after the first Full Moon (also known as the Pashcal Moon or Ecclesiastical Moon - this year on 25 March) following the Ecclesiastical Equinox (a fixed date of 21st March, unlike the Astronomical Spring Equinox which can fall on the 19th, 20th or 21st - falling on 20th March in 2024).

Other calendars which still look to the moon to determine time include the Chinese Calendar which marks New Year on the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice. You can read more about this in the edition below.

🏺Happy New Moon in Aquarius and Lunar New Year!🐉

Here are some seasonal dates to ground you as we ease into March:

• 10 March: New Super Snow Moon in Pisces at 09:00 GMT

• 10 March: Mothering Sunday (U.K)

• 10 March: last day to watch my Spring ephemerals masterclass

• 12 March: National plant a flower day

• 17 March: St Patrick’s Day (N. Ireland, Ireland)

• 19 March: sun moves into Aries

• 20 March: Ostara (Pagan)

• 20 March: Ecoliteracy for Educators course begins*

*✨Early bird enrolment is open now! To get £100 off the course investment enrol before midnight tonight (Sunday 10 March):

🌿Spring (vernal) Equinox

According to the Meteorological calendar the first day of Spring was on 1 March, and there are plenty of signs in the hedgerows to herald new life. However, if you’re not quite ready to emerge from your Winter hibernation yet, the Astronomical calendar has a good excuse for you to remain cosy for another 10 days!