And so, finally, comes the Spring Equinox, this most welcome moment of change for those of us in the Northern hemisphere, for whom winter’s darkness has seemed so persistent. This coming weekend in the UK the clocks will go forward one hour, accelerating our sense that a new season is almost here. There’s a palpable mood of hope in the air and on the airwaves as warmer days are anticipated and longer evenings imagined. In the heavens the sun, from our perspective, is rising higher in the sky, bringing more light, greater warmth and new life.
In this Equinox moment of equality between hours of darkness and light Pagans recognize a perfect balance of darkness and light, of male and female, of interior and exterior. The Goddess and the Green Man are celebrated, personifying the cosmic change for good that is afoot. This is a time of unimagined energy and unexpected life, a rising of hope from the demanding ground of winter.
No accident then, that perhaps the greatest season of the Jesus tradition has emerged within the wisdom and gift of springtime. From the Spring Equinox everything is leaning forwards to the great festival of Easter, the season of the Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection. In the West the Christian churches celebrate Easter on the Sunday after the first full moon following the Spring Equinox. The rising sun of this season will mark the rising of the Son for all time, offering a pattern of light from darkness that enables us to face life as it comes to us.
And so anything becomes possible. Onto the coldest ground of our lives falls the warmth of the sun, and through the hardest soil of our existence may break through the shoots of new life…
The sun is rising. The Son is rising.
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Encountering the Eternal One within the ancient boundaries of Sherwood Forest More ...
We seek to find the presence of God in the open air and in nature, and to connect with the Divine Being who is present in creation. We seek to foster a love of creation, a love which will lead us to care for it. We look for reconciliation between nature and human beings, and within human relationships. More ...
oxforddiocese:
Great to see how @RiponCuddesdon are engaging with @ARochaUK Eco Church scheme - love the Forest Church area made b… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
18 Aug 22
YBS_Church:
Our Forest Church takes place on Sunday, 28th August, at 4.30pm in the Gifford Community Woodland (Fawn Wood), for… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
19 Aug 22
rebeccaBug:
Tremeirchion have their first Forest Church service tomorrow so the boys thought they had better check out that the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
20 Aug 22