As we prepare for the upcoming Christian celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can also acknowledge and choose to celebrate the event of the Spring Equinox. Actually very much intertwined. I invite you to explore a relationship with the Christian tradition and many ancient and present religions, and their commonality. Among the Roman Catholic church and Protestant denominations, Easter Sunday falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after MARCH-20, the nominal date of the Spring Equinox. Its ancient linkages to sun and moon worship are obvious.
The Moravian Church (the earliest protestant church) of which I am a member, Easter begins with a Sunrise service. Before the Sun has begun to rise, members gather at the Church. We take a long wistful walk to the cemetery. A brass Choir heralds the rising of the Sun. A beautiful service. Link More Moravian faith.
We recognize the new dawn – resurrection with the rising of the sun. How much different from our ancestors? I offer you this video when you have some time for self-reflection, and then the links below for your consideration.
Belsebuub & Angela Pritchard from Belsebuub expand upon the symbolic and spiritual significance of this time.
“…Throughout the world, the spring equinox is a time of great confrontation between the forces of darkness and light, in the death and resurrection of the central deities of sacred teachings throughout the world.
“It symbolizes what an initiate goes through in a definitive and important stage of self-realization, where the struggle between darkness and light creates the opposition needed to attain immortality. This is symbolized by the dark half of the year on one side of the spring equinox sun, and the light half of the year on the other…
BUNKERVILLE | God, Guns and Guts Comrades! 
March 21, 2016 at 8:52 am
[…] Celebrating the meaning of the Spring equinox […]
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March 20, 2016 at 6:32 pm
I have to say I found this post to be fascinating! I was raised Catholic, I attended a Catholic school and went to church every Sunday. Eventually I left the faith, all faith actually, for many years and only recently accepted Jesus Christ as my savior.
I have always been fascinated with the link between the ancient Pagan religions and the Christian religion, in fact this link is part of what had me doubting everything. I am still interested in the link between the religions, but it no longer is a hindrance to my belief.
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March 20, 2016 at 6:35 pm
I also wanted to say that I now attend a Congregational church and I am still amazed at the difference between this service and Catholic service. To me I find this church to focus more on salvation and redemption whereas the Catholic church focused more on guilt. It is an astounding difference to me and I find it much more uplifting.
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March 20, 2016 at 6:47 pm
My rather clumsy attempt at a rather complicated point.I believe in the Trinity. If one studies earlier religions there is a universal theme. I think I lost Z in this post. Jesus says he is the light. If you check out Biblehub website and enter light, sun and such words, the theme continues. Good versus evil , dark versus light. The constant push pull. I am suggesting that perhaps early religions were not worshipping the Sun per se, but that which it represented. A new beginning. A re-birth, much as is suggested in Christianity. The cycle to enlightenment. The attainment of what we call Heaven.
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March 20, 2016 at 6:12 pm
Do the Moravians celebrate the kinds of goddesses mentioned in the video? I saw nothing of that in the Wikipedia explanations of the Moravian church. I think the motto is an excellent one…“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love.” Too much has divided the Church these days, based on denominations….we need to unite in the essentials.
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March 20, 2016 at 6:35 pm
No, the Moravians are purely Christians. I was attempting to indicate that there is a thread that weaves all religions together in some ways. Dark and light, goodness and evil. The yin and yang. The birth of Jesus, death, and resurrection. Many of our Christian dates have been influenced by earlier religious beliefs and customs. If you get a chance check out the links embedded above. Hope I didn’t confuse my intended message.
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March 20, 2016 at 11:02 am
[…] Source: Celebrating the meaning of the Spring equinox | BUNKERVILLE | God, Guns and Guts Comrades! […]
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March 20, 2016 at 1:45 pm
Thanks so much for stopping by and the link.
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March 20, 2016 at 8:14 am
Moravian Cemetery in Staten Island, NY, from what I remember some 40 years ago, was the most beautiful cemetery that I had ever visited.
A co-worker’s mother had passed away and I went to the funeral. I was astounded of the beauty of the cemetery. I believe it was early-to-mid-June. Too many people take for granted of how the Moravians incorporated landscape architecture into the acreage and few know of how, the importance of landscape beauty, fits into a healthy religious belief.
At that time in my life, aside from deer hunting, the only “architectural and landscape beauty”, were the burned out apartment houses of New York City. We knew Spring was in the air, when we drove the patrol car and saw throngs of hookers not wearing their coats, and the same cars orbiting the block, over and over, like honey bees around flowers.
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March 20, 2016 at 9:22 am
wow, a rough life for you. Not many know of the Moravians but indeed you are right. Many beautiful rituals, and not to be confused by the Mennonites and Amish. Very much accepting. Trust your surroundings now are significantly more pleasant!
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March 20, 2016 at 10:00 am
Nicer, but the hoards of yuppies from NYC are flowing out here and relocating. Now it is what the city was about twenty years ago. I recall this area when it was predominantly dirt roads and tire tracks. Now, Land Rovers, BMWs, loud music, horn blowing (!!).
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