Spring Equinox
Written by Paul Arellano
Welcome to the Spring Equinox 2025! Resting at the pivot point between the Rabbit and the Dragon lunar months, this two-week period of the equinox (春分, “Chunfen”) symbolizes the transition and transformation between these two Zodiac animals, and it represents a moment of perfect harmonious balance in the environment as day and night are equal. This is one of the two times of the year (the other being the autumn equinox) when Yin and Yang are perfectly balanced, so symbolically it is an important moment for healing and overcoming chronic states of the body or mind that have been stuck all through the winter.
As you might recall, the Rabbit month is a time of dreaming - envisioning the coming summer season of light - and the Dragon month is when this dream becomes reality, with plant life exploding as days are once again longer than nights. The Spring Equinox is the pivot between these two, a time period when the days are growing longer at the fastest rate of the entire year, propelling us towards the warm summer season! Accordingly, the Chinese agricultural calendar (Wuyun Liuqi 五運六氣) describes the dominant climate force of the Spring Equinox period as Sunlight.
What does this mean? It is important to note that “Sunlight” is differentiated from “Heat,” which is the climate of summer. To understand the significance of this difference between “sunlight” and “heat,” you can simply call to mind the feeling of standing in a patch of sunlight on a chilly spring day. Can you remember the way you soak up the sun? The feeling of being warmed from the inside out? This is the important nature of Sunlight as opposed to Heat. Whereas heat is a superficial phenomenon, direct sunlight penetrates right to our core. Just like an infrared sauna, it warms us up from inside and promotes circulation in deep blood vessels. This is different from the ultraviolet/UV radiation that can cause sunburns and becomes more intense in the summer. In fact, spring is a time when UV radiation is relatively low but infrared radiation from the sun is still strong, helping to increase our peripheral circulation coming out of the cold winter months. Because of this, it is a great time for sunbathing to get all the positive benefits of sunlight while avoiding the more harmful UV rays.
This is a time to bring people together in casual and lighthearted celebration of the season
The two-week season of Spring Equinox is further divided into three 5-day periods, which are 玄鳥至 “Swallows Arrive”, 雷乃發聲 “Thunder Starts Resounding” and 始電 “Beginning of Lightning.” The symbolism of these three environmental activities resonates with what we have already discussed: the return of migrating swallows (Barn Swallows in particular are endemic to China and likely what are being referred to) signals the coming of summer, and occurs right around the equinox, symbolizing the transition from cold, windy spring to warm, wet early summer. The description of “Thunder” and “Lightning” also symbolize the powerful transformation of the expanding Yang of this particular Seasonal Node. As anyone in the midwest can attest, summertime is the season of thunderstorms. This is because thunder and lightning occur when hot air pockets rise suddenly, churning clouds to create electrical charge that discharges in the form of lightning and thunder. Essentially, thunderstorms need warmth and moisture to happen, and their arrival signifies a time of year when the weather is still moist, but warmth and sunlight are also strong.
To personally align with this seasonal transition, recognize this as a time when the Yang (active energy, paired with Yin in yin-yang theory) within each of us is expanding rapidly, even while it might still be cool spring weather. The illumination of the sunlight exposes dust and shines into dark corners. Because of this, it is a perfect time for the activity of spring cleaning and clearing: getting our houses organized and our gardens weeded – as well as clearing out the mental clutter of to-do lists that have been “slept on” through the winter. And once we get our chores done, like the arrival of thunder and lightning, it’s time to shake things up! Get moving, throw a party with some friends, or spend a sunny afternoon in a park full of other sunbathers after the long winter. This is a time to bring people together in casual and lighthearted celebration of the season, as well as the busy activity of spring energy propelling us back to the tasks we’ve left on the backburner.