It’s Spring Again

The advance of our science begets knowledge — and control — of our environment, so much so we often seem not of this world but above it. Grand masters.  But there’s no escaping we are part of nature and sometimes it’s a microscopic thing like the corana virus that reminds us of how intimately we are woven into her fabric.

Part of this fabric are the seasons – winter, spring, summer, fall — which from time immemorial have determined much of life — when we plant crops, when we rest, when we travel, where we travel to, when we celebrate.

The seasonal progression speaks of order but it is almost accidental, resulting from the slight tilt in Earth’s rotation.  That’s what results in seasons. Without this slight tilt there would be no seasons at all, but because of it parts of Earth receive different amounts of sunlight depending on where the planet is positioned during her 365 day journey around the sun.  In winter, the north receives less sun than the south, which is exactly reversed during summer.  Winter and Summer are the solstices, from Latin sol (“sun”) and sistere (“to stand still”) or -stitium, “stopping”. In Spring and Fall, most of the Earth receives an equal amount of sunlight throughout.  This is the time of the equinoxes, also from Latin, equinoctium (equal) and nox (night).

The seasons are always turning but there are special moments so to speak, and today is one of them, the vernal equinox or first day of Spring in the northern hemisphere. 

Right now, during the vernal equinox, day and night — light and dark — are about the same everywhere in the world. The “equal night.”

Here’s hoping that in these coming days we see an extra dose of light, given the rather darker tinge of the times, and some more of that renewal that Spring brings.

Happy Spring everyone.

Carl Kruse

Contact: carl AT carlkruse DOT org

Main Website

P.S. Here’s another post on Spring from my blog.
https://carlkruse.org/happy-vernal-equinox/ and one from fall https://carlkruse.org/happy-autumnal-equinox/

If you are a lover of flowers check out these in the “10 Heralds of Spring In Croatia“.

And to go along with the beginning of Spring, what about some poetry from my friend Otho Campbell?