Wishing you a sacred equinox. These times of year pass unnoticed by most people, but in the ancient world were the most holy of the year. They convey profound truths about creation, and about the journey of consciousness through it. For those of us reviving the ancient Religion of the Sun, it’s a time we can reflect upon its profound meaning, and connect with it in nature. It’s a special time in which we can feel part of the great cycles of the cosmos and its divine workings.
In the Northern Hemisphere, its the spring equinox, when life finally emerges from the darkness of winter. It’s a time of coming back into the light of the divine, after being through chaos and darkness – and the hardship of having to find and make our own light in the darkness.
In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s the autumn/fall equinox, which represents those times we descend into darkness and difficulties in life to acquire knowledge about ourselves and forge virtues.
I’ve made videos on the meaning of the spring equinox and the autumn equinox (with the help of a great team at our publisher) in ancient cultures.
Also, an update on what we’re working on: Mark and I are finishing up a major re-write of our book Ancient Solstice, which has taken the last few months. We hope to have it finished and released in the next couple of months. There’s new information in it, as we’ve learned quite a lot since its first edition; we’ve aimed to make it a very comprehensive guide to the ancient sites and cultures connected to the solstices and equinoxes, and to their deeper, ancient meaning. We hope it’ll be a reference to all those wishing to understanding and reconnect with the lost ancient wisdom of the world.
Thank you to all of you who have supported us over the last few months, and have enabled us to work on this task.
Wishing you a sacred and blessed equinox.
Happy Equinox to everyone around the globe!
The time of the solstice/equinoxes once went unnoticed for me as well, now I feel so blessed to have learned about the deeper truths of this special time… Now I come to this time of year with jewels and treasures that were freely given, where incredible ancient knowledge keeps unravelling and uplifting the soul.
To everyone, all the best over the Equinox period. A special time of year here in Australia, as the change of the seasons represent a moment to breathe & reflect wlile the magpies are singing again & the bees are busy getting ready. Thank you to Mark, Lara & team for all that you do.
Thank you Lara for your wishes!!
I wish the precious Light of Spiritual Sun Shines everyday our hearts!!
Thank you Lara for your wonderful and uplifted wishes.
What touched me deeper was highlighting that these times were the most holy of the year, comparing, how unniticed they are today. I don’t know why, but this gave me the need and yearning to try to reflect, understand and study the information you give. As I’m writing, I feel that it gives me the boost and purpose to try to change things in my life, to try to connect with this magical event and see a little light forward me.
Than you everyone for your uplifted comments.
Michael the verse of the song you gave: “I know you have a little life in you yet, I know you hae a lot of strenght yet” spoke so strongly in me, maybe because I’ve past situations that were very diggicult for me to handle the last two years. Thank you for that.
Thank you Lara for the update too, thank you and Mark for all the work you are doing, giving us so much help, thanks to all the team and everyone who’s supporting you.
Wishing everyone to have had a very inspiring and a unique eqiunox, in any way they celebrated it, feeling and getting in tune with it’s magical energies, connecting somehow with it’s meaning, sensing the spiritual light, gaining the strenght, inner peace, guidance and help that each needs.
Thanks, Lara! I hope everyone got whatever is important to them from this equinox time. I wish you all to continue making steps forward towards the light.
Happy Equinox :)
I feel like my personal life has been in sync with the movement of the sun this quarter, which has been very intense! I felt a lot of death over the winter, going through a lot of confusion about what I’m doing, how, where, mostly with regards to work. Almost perfectly aligned with the spring equinox, things are becoming more clear internally, and somewhat externally as well. I’ve been applying to dozens of jobs, at big and small companies alike, and it became clear through the process what I really excell at, enjoy the most, and learn the most from. Having the clarity about what suits me best is refreshing, and I’ve noticed certain fears and insecurities that wouldn’t allow such a conclusion before, and a related perfectionism that would make it impossible as well. It’s amazing how self-knowledge can make chaos clearer.
I can’t wait to see the book updates, the meaning of sacred sites and ceremonies is so important! People feel drawn to them and don’t know why. If the book becomes much larger, it’s going to have to become a multi-volume set!
Thank you Lara for your wishes, and for your and Mark’s continued work on the Ancient Solstice book. It’s a beautiful period now in the northern hemisphere, with light and warmth truly returning. I wish you and Mark and everyone here an truly an inspiring period.
Regarding your upcoming book, I wonder, is there any way to contribute to the next edition? I’ve been quite sad about how little Slav focused content is in your books, and if the opportunity is there to do something about it, I would definitely like to try. And considering we have quite a few Slavs in this community, I may not be the only one interested.
I was wondering the same thing. Based on a small amount of research, there are some interesting things to be found in Chinese culture and linguistics which hasn’t been covered, and much more in local traditions, as Emily’s mentioned. In my own background, the Mapuche of Chile and Argentina are another small branch of the religion of the sun, and I’m sure there are many small ethnic/cultural groups like that which have something unique to contribute to the overall story.
I do wonder though, how comprehensive is comprehensive? Is it enough to show the pattern? What knowledge would be most useful?
I’ve had an idea kicking around for a while to use AI for research by creating a searchable text corpus. AI search tools have evolved quite a bit which could make research easier (though much of the information you seek is at the fringes and not easily found in the first place).
Wishing everyone an uplifting equinox time 🌞
Happy spring equinox!
Thank you so much for your work to help us all, it is truly a blessing.
May the pristine tradition of the Sacred Sun revive in the world and renew it.
Praise to the Sun!
And your miracle.
And the hope it keeps on giving.
Wishing everyone an equinox time with great spiritual presence in your inner life.
I went out to catch some sun just now and feeling the grass and soil and breathing the fresh air it started to become an escalating prayer, from small to the whole of humanity, and for myself too.
I’m grateful for the coming of spring and the nice blue skied days here and there.
A very special thanks to Lara and Mark, for all that you do on many levels and ways.
Wishing everyone continued healing and spiritual strengthening. 🔆 🦋
Hi everyone,
I wish y’all a blessed equinox! These times of the year have functioned as times where I take a moment to reflect on my spiritual journey. With so much darkness in the world, it can be easy to lose sight on what really matters and get carried away by worldly temptations, as I have realized recently through my personal experiences. As I have discovered, that is one of the lessons to be learned for me. I have been reading some Taoist scriptures and trying to understand them, one of the questions that pop up inside my head every once in a while is the question of “What is the Tao and how can I find it? ” I have seen many explanations of it, but I always wanted to have a personal understanding of it myself on a personal level. I’ve wondered about where exactly I could find it,and is it possible to find it in such a world where many things are designed to keep someone’s soul entrapped. The other day as I was meditating to harness the energy from the sun as it was shining directly into my room at noon(I do that as part of my routine now whenever I can and when it’s a clear sunny day), I went into a sort of a trance again, where I heard this voice that spoke to me, “It is both in the inside and on the outside, it is both near and and far away.” I believe that answered the question I had about the Tao. And it also went on to say that the external world one experiences is a reflection of one’s inner conditions, and by finding inner light can one dispell the darkness from within. I think that is quite an important point to be made,but for some reason I just forgot about that. That reminder from the beings in a higher realm was really great! And I believe that I should continue to go in the right direction, and do my best to walk the spiritual path.
I also thought I should share a news I came across about a reenactment of the spring equinox ceremony as being performed by the Chinese Emperors during the Qing Dynasty that took place just this passed equinox, and here is an article about it I found in English, https://www.globaltimes.cn/galleries/5694.html The ceremony was being performed at a historical site called Ritan, literally meaning “temple of the sun” in Chinese. I wish I could’ve been there to see the reenactment being performed, as it must be a sight to behold.
One of the main structures at the site is where the spring equinox ceremony would be held. The structure has a round of walls painted red on the outside, an altar at its center, and apparently four gates on the outer walls, each facing one of the four directions. With each gate there would be a pathway that leads to the central altar upon entering, and I found that this design looking very much like a solar cross. There’s a picture about the structure here, https://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2020/01/09/everything-you-need-know-about-rending-ritan-park I haven’t seen the seen the solar cross appearing often in this culture, a design like this seems to be another piece of evidence of a mysterious link that connects the East and West.
It should be amazing to witness, that park has East-West equinox sacred path to have a procession as a part of the ceremony. It would be so interesting to see how it has been revived in our days.
Just a little bit more information on Ritan. It is apparently one of the four prominent temples visited by emperors during different times of the year to honor specific celestial deities in the past, especially during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The other three temples are the Temple of Moon, the Temple of Heaven, and the Temple of Earth. As you can probably tell the concepts of Heaven, Earth, Sun and Moon were important parts of ancient Chinese cosmology, and they have been intertwined with folk beliefs, divination, and just about every part of the worldview of ancient Chinese. And again there is a lot that I could go into on these topics, and talking about them would probably take me forever. Also I have noticed that on the reenactment of the ceremony performed at spring equinox there was a tablet placed on the altar, written in Chinese and the Manchu language apparently (since rulers of the Qing Dynasty were Manchus), which says something that could be translated into English literally as “the deity of great brightness”. This is probably a reference to The Sun, and I’ve noticed that this phrasing is somehow similar to the meaning of the name of Amaterasu in Japanese, which is “(she) who illuminates the sky”. In Japanese sometimes Amaterasu is also referred to as Amaterasu Ookami, which means “the great deity Amaterasu”. I think it’s interesting how the phrase used to refer to the solar deity here is similar to how Amaterasu the Shinto goddess is being called in Japan. And according to my knowledge as far as mainstream researchers are aware of, the exact connection between the indigenous beliefs of China and Japan isn’t well understood. While it’s clear that one may have influenced another in known history, both cultures have a long history of sun and nature worship that stretches far back into antiquity. Shintoism, as far as we know, is a belief system native to Japan. There is evidence of sun worship existing on the Japanese archipelago long before the Chinese influence on its culture and language arrived as part of the diplomatic exchange between state officials, and worshipping of the sun was also prominent in China during very ancient times. I speculate that there might had been a larger solar religion that existed in East Asia,which its founders established solar theocracies in multiple nations in this part of the world, which would eventually become an important foundation for Shintoism in Japan, and also contribute to the ramnants of the religion of the sun in China. If such a solar religion existed it may also explain the origin of the pyramids in China. All of these, of course, were likely haven occurred before recorded history and mainstream academia would probably not admit that they were true in anyway…
I’ve seen the idea of one culture influencing another often being thorwn around as an explanation of why there are similarities between different cultures. This explanation would certainly make sense if two cultures were not far apart from one another, but it wouldn’t make sense if similarities were found between two cultures that maybe separated by continents and there is no possible means by which the people of the two cultures could have had contacts with each other during ancient times by conventional understanding. Through my own research I found that the image of the three-legged crow was used in both ancient China and Japan as a kind of symbolism for the sun. And for a while I bought into the idea proposed by some mainstream scholars which suggest that this was likely a result of different cultures in East Asia influencing one another. But this explanation was called into question when I found out that the raven acts as sort of messenger to the god Odin in Norse mythology. I think stories of Huginn and Muninn are similar in some way to that of Yatagarasu in Japanese mythology, in the fact that they both serve as a sort of a guide(and Odin could also be similar to those gods in Japanese mythology in some way?) And although raven and crow are not exactly the same animal, they both belong to the genus Corvus and they appear in the legends of very different cultures like that of the ancient Nordic and Japanese with similar characteristics. Could the birds of the genus Corvus be another symbolism of the Religion of the Sun? I don’t know if there could be more similar examples from other cultures, but it looks like to me this could be another one of the case where this similarity could have the do with the fact that they both descended from the Religion of the Sun from very distant times, like the case with Midgard and Nakatsukuni in terms of cosmology. I don’t have more evidence beyond what I have wrote about in the comments already, but I do think it’s possible that there was a once a larger solar religion in Asia at some point in the very distant past that encompassed a huge part of East Asia, from the evidence I’ve found and how the Religion of the Sun was known to spread in other parts of the world as the Atwoods have presented.
Dear Lara and Mark,
Thank you for your tireless efforts in helping to spread hope for humanity in these changing and challenging times.
All the strength and best wishes to you both.
Wishing everyone a wonderful spiritual Equinox ☀️
Great to hear about the updated edition of the Ancient Solstice coming up!
Thank you Mark and Lara ✨
Thank you for the good wishes, Lara. I’d also like to wish you and everyone here an inspiring and peaceful equinox, and strength through connecting with the divine at this special time.
Also, thanks for the update on the update :) I look forward to seeing what new knowledge and insights will be released with the next edition!
Thank you very much Lara for your wishes and the update on how your work on the book is progressing, I am really looking forward to all those amazing updates… Wishing you, Mark, and everyone here a magical equinox! (here, in the Northern hemisphere, its the spring equinox tomorrow, which is my favourite from all the stages of the Sun, somehow, its energy is just sooooo beautiful! ❄️🔥🌞)
Thanks very much for your wishes Lara and for the updates on the book, which I’m sure will become an even more valuable resource. I also wish you, Mark and everyone here a peaceful equinox time, whether for spring or autumn.
With it also recently being International Women’s Day on the 8th, I started re-reading your article on the important role of the divine mother in spirituality. It’s a pity how so much in relation to this has been airbrushed from history within mainstream Christianity, as you detailed in your article: https://sakrosawel.com/reestablishing-the-feminine-in-godhead-the-role-of-the-mother-goddess-in-divinity/
As well as the important role of the divine mother in fighting darkness within ourselves, the role of women at the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection is worthy of discussion in relation to the equinoxes. It’s noteworthy how after even the most loyal of Jesus’ male disciples abandoned him as he suffered intensely during the Passion, it was the women who tended to him at his crucifixion. Similarly, it’s Mary Magdalene who is reported in the gospels to be the first of Jesus’ disciples to discover his body missing from the tomb after his resurrection.
It’s lovely to hear about people’s inspiring experiences of celebrating the solstices and equinoxes, such as visiting sites relevant to the these important solar events. Although I’ve also sometimes found these occasions bittersweet over the last decade or so, as they provide a reminder of something I once used to cherish (like celebrating in nature) but which seemed to belong to a past chapter of my life.
Over time, it can still be possible to find moments of beauty within prolonged suffering though, as well as the insight that this can bring us. So I hope that people will still be able to find some kind of spiritual connection, whatever their circumstances may be.
As there has been some discussion of going though difficult times and struggling with stubborn inner states, I thought it may be nice to share a version of a song recorded for International Women’s Day. It was originally written by Kate Bush for a movie on motherhood, so is not intended as a spiritual song. But I was inspired by the line “I know you have a little life in you yet, I know you have a lot of strength yet” and thought others may relate to it too. To be honest, this arrangement also has two of my favourite musical elements (vocal harmonies and string drones), which I have a soft spot for! :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK0GuD6ep5c
I thought I’d also share Kate Bush’s duet with Peter Gabriel (Don’t Give Up), which gave me some hope when I was going though a very difficult period some years ago, shortly after receiving a couple of life changing diagnoses. This led to much distress, particularly as there was limited opportunity to discuss their practical and psychological consequences at the time. So as other coping strategies, such as connecting with nature were also very challenging to access, I found great solace in music that connected with the things I was going through during that time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjEq-r2agqc
In a comment on the misuse of spiritual symbols in the FAQ section, I previously shared the second movement of the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs by the Polish composer Henryk Górecki, the lyrics of which come from an inscription on the wall of a Gestapo cell, made by a prisoner held during WW2. The first movement is taken from a 15th-century Polish lament of Jesus’ mother Mary and the third from a folk song conveying a mother’s loss of her son. So in each movement, something of beauty emerges out of intense suffering.
As with the Passion of Jesus being very relevant at the moment, the Churning of the Milky Ocean is also equally fitting within the Hindu tradition, with the spiritual rewards gained by separating the spiritual treasures from the poison. The influence of Jesus’ life and teachings have of course had an exceptional impact on societies since and he is probably the most well known wisdom bringer in Western history.
For those interested in seeking truth and knowledge, it seems there is much opposition to face within the world and within ourselves. But although the struggle can affect our lives significantly over many years, the end results may also be very valuable, if we can learn through it.
Hi Micheal,
Well said. Here I just wanted to mention another thing I saw about the alternative understanding of Jesus that is different from most Christian schools. This isn’t related to solstice or equinox symbolism, but the deeper meaning behind his act of performing miracles.
I’ve watched this video https://youtu.be/mSQpYhW-kJY?si=QdMr-EOoeHlJnJnk
where it talks about how Jesus’s acts of performing miracles was a way of showing how he had connection and unity with the divine source of creation. His miracles were another demonstration of Christ-consciousness, which is a topic that has been discussed repeatedly throughout the video series that this video belongs to which is called the Christ theories. I think I have mentioned this before on this website, those are made by a Youtuber whose username is Spirit Science and this person apparently makes New Age-related contents on his/her channel. The Christ Series is unsurprisingly about a New Age/Pegan understanding of Jesus, and I do find many of the things mentioned in those videos are very interesting. Like the concept of Christ-consciousness, which is very similar to the Spiritual Sun. This series also identifies Jesus as an Avatar, which sounds almost synonymous with Wisdom Bringer as mentioned by Lara and Mark in their works. But I was a little surprised that they included figures such as Krishna and Muhammad in their list of Avatars, who were likely not Wisdom Bringers of the Religion of The Sun,since Krishna advocated for celibacy(as Lara mentioned in one of her articles that this was likely a later addition), and Muhammad was the founder of Islam, a religion that has little to nothing to do with the Religion of The Sun. They also tried to convey this idea that all religions lead to the same place of the Source,which the research of the Atwoods on the Religion of The Sun showed that this is not the case. And I think this is likely one of the problems with many of the so-called New Age beliefs out there. Is that they tend to encompass beliefs and practices from many different exotic traditions, the Religion of The Sun may be a part of it, but they also take ideas from Shamanism, Buddhism, pretty much anything that is different from the Abrahamic monitheistic religions which are the dominant religions in the West. Some of them even go on to try psychedelics because they think it’s all part of this “new age” religion. So as far as I can tell, I don’t think the New Age/Neo-pegan movement can necessarily equate the Religion of the Sun, at least not in its pure form. They have sure done a lot of work to unravel the ancient mysteries of the past,and the Atwoods have accredited them on that. But I believe there is something even better than the mashup beliefs and practices that are prominent among many of the New Age circles, and what Lara and Mark have presented is truly one of its kind:)
PS: Although I have to admit, that it is really hard to find the religion of the sun in its pure form these days. And the Atwoods have done a really good job at refining the gold!
Thank you Michael for sharing your insights about the role of the Divine Mother in spirituality and the uplifting songs. I know this may have little practical use, but in my small daily routine, I continue to ask for strength and healing for you, Akira, and a few others I know.
As for the music, it seems to be one of the natural expressions of the consciousness’s longing. On the night after the equinox, as well as the following night, I had a few more lucid episodes, and my spiritual longing expressed itself through music and singing in the astral dedicated to the stars and the Sun, which I could see and was trying to fly toward while singing.
@Emily – Thank you for sharing your reflections on Tao. I feel your quest for personal understanding has been similar to my own – seeking to deepen my awareness of both the inner and outer in daily life. And sometimes, those efforts make the soul sing 😊
Thank you Lara! Amazing to hear there’s new discoveries being unveiled.
Hope everyone is able to tune into the equinox in their own way, north or south. I’ve been getting myself up and out in nature for early morning walks to start to feel the shift happening now. It’s been magical. I know it’s a special sunrise on the actual equinox but I find viewing it as a period to experience rather than just one day helps, especially when I can’t do a full ceremony because I have to be in work, like this year!
Wishing everyone a special time of connection to their own being and the divinity all around us.
Thanks very much for the update and work you’re doing and for the equinox wishes – wishing the same to you and Mark!
May we all find much light within ourselves no matter which part of the year we’re going into and be able to grow a connection more and more with the spiritual sun ☀️
Thank you very much Mark and Lara for your wishes and all your work.
Wishing you both and everyone here a reflective and spiritual time this equinox.
I pray we all receive the strength and guidance we need for our journeys through life, with all its ups and downs. May we all persevere and grow in light, love and understanding :-)
Thank you Lara for your kind wishes and for the update. I am also deeply grateful to Mark and everyone involved in the ongoing efforts to revise, update, and share new information and discoveries related to the Religion of the Sun. Having access to this knowledge has significantly enriched my inner life.
This year marks twenty years since my first spontaneous astral experiences; a priceless gift that led me to question certain choices and attempt to embark on a journey of slow inner transformation toward becoming a less ego-driven being.
Wishing everyone a reflective and spiritually uplifting equinox.
Thank you for the wishes and update, Lara.
Thank you for the reminder that the purpose is to make your own light and forge virtues, when darkness would make me forget. It has brought me a sense of inner calm and direction.
May each of us here celebrating the equinox feel a true connection to the light of the spiritual sun, and may it teach us and give us strength and clarity.
Wishing everyone an inspiring, peaceful equinox.
Thank You Mark and Lara!
Blessed Equinox to all!