Spring Equinox, Ostara, Cat Arts & Wisdom Extravaganza

Hello, pussy willows anyone? It’s your feline editor Clyde with a visual cat arts feast for winter weary eyes. Plus celestial wisdom and plain old good advice from a smart old cat. Oh, and my feline brother from another mother, Odin, is joining me with his unique humor, albeit no wisdom. Curl up, settle in and enjoy our Spring Equinox Cat Arts extravaganza.

I sometimes think the Pussy-Willows grey
Are Angel Kittens who have lost their way,
And every Bulrush on the river bank
A Cat-Tail from some lovely Cat astray.

~Oliver Herford

After what seems like a never-ending winter, spring is coming tomorrow. Normally, we’d have more than a few snowdrops blooming by now. And snow is forecast, but so what if Mother Nature has a strange sense of humor? I get it. Cats have a strange sense of humor so without further ado, the spring or the vernal equinox countdown begins now.

Hello spring on Mar. 20 at 6:29 am EDT. At the same time our friends in the southern hemisphere, it will be the autumn equinox, and the beginning of autumn. But hang on; it’s going to be a wild week. Here’s why.

For astrology buffs, the spring equinox marks the beginning of the astrological year in Aries. Aries is a fiery, frisky, fun and take charge zodiac sign. The fresh energy bodes well for change and new beginnings. And yes, your cat could be an Aries.cat

As everything gets revved up for a new start, blasted MERCURY IN RETROGRADE begins on the 22nd. If your computer or any electronics have been wonky and communication stilted or stalled, we’ve been in the shadow period for a week. I’m not going to delve into the nitty gritty of a Merc. retro except to say: expect delays, expect breakthroughs, demand honesty and if all fails, namastay under the covers until April 16th darlings.

Click on the link above for details. It’s really more good than bad if you know how to stay in the moment like us cats. I suggest getting as much sleep as possible and not over do anything. It’s always a good time to edit, pare down, clean up and declutter. The don’t call it spring cleaning for nothing. Our healthy cleaning tips if you live with cats. I personally have never picked up as much as a dust rag but my tail does random flicking of random dust particles. My tongue is better than Brillo pad not that you’d ever see me scraping the inside of pot of Irish Stew.

My best advice during the next three weeks is to cancel your social plans and stay home with your cats and binge watch Babylon Berlin. or read a good book preferably with your cats.

Our favorite hibernation activity is reading. Everything old can be new again when it comes to enjoying old cat books.

If you love vintage cat books, they are often worth buying for the illustrations or cool book jackets like this art deco era book The Cat Whose Whiskers Slipped by Ruth Campbell. It makes me wonder how whiskers can slip. Mine fan and curl but never slip, at least not to my knowledge. If you know anything about whisker slipping, please leave a comment. If you’d like something new, may I suggest our new book. The e-book is available on GumRoad for only 99 cents!

Pagans celebrate spring with Ostara or Ēostre (root word of estrogen). Ostara is a Germanic fertility goddess, and origin of a festival of rebirth, better known as Easter. Whether Wiccan, Druid, Norse, Shamanic, Earth-based Witches or Pagans of any stripe, spring is about honoring our sacred planet in nature. During the spring equinox the days and nights, light and dark are evenly balanced. Its a time to reflect on balance and how we can create more balanced lives. It’s a fertile expansive time to plant seeds or actually or metaphorically for intentional goal setting in the coming season. The days grow longer, brighter and warmer. By lighting candles or fires we invite the residual chill of winter to depart and welcome the new season with her winds of change.

Eostre is why we paint eggs and how Easter chocolate eggs and bunnies became edible, symbolic examples of fertility. Crazy but true and remember, no chocolate for kitties or dogs. And keep those paper whites and Easter lilies away from cats. They are deadly toxic. And while you’re at it, keep crazy fur siblings like Odin away from the festivities.

During the equinox its one of two times in the year of perfect balance between light and dark, day and night. It’s a time we can honor our sacred planet by going for a walk in nature, planting seeds (real or virtual), observing what’s blooming, and notice how you can find more balance in your life. Light candles or make a fire to kindle the warmth of a new season and brace for the winds of change.

We’re pretty witchy Zen around here but if I were to adopt a religion, it might be Buddhism or Shintoism because of the Japanese. They love black cats and are simple coo coo for all cat culture.

What you may not know is the Japanese celebrate spring with Shubun-sai, an official holiday. No work! It’s a day for people to “appreciate nature and living creatures.” Hello, sign me up.

They commune with nature and have numerous festivals including cherry blossom viewing. The roots of their spring equinox holiday stems from honoring their ancestors and visiting graves. It’s a perfect Zen balance of observing the eternal cycle of life and death, the impermanence of all that is.

I know we will be lighting candles for our ancestors, and visiting our cat memorial garden with angels Merlin, his sister Coco, Gris Gris and Radish. Layla has photographed Merlin’s special burial mound through all four seasons. It will be included in our pet loss book. It’s shocking how dramatic the visual seasonal changes are and a reminder to cherish the present moment.

How much more can I love Japanese cat lovers? Check out the trailer from Cat Nation.

Cat Nation: A film about Japan’s crazy cat culture from 100th Monkey Films on Vimeo.

Sure, things might get wild and woolly this week but you might as well laugh as my mom Layla says.May I say: CATS if you need any prodding? Besides, today is NATIONAL Let’s LAUGH Day

Our snow is mostly gone (for now) and our fur gang is in hibernation mode except for Odin, who I’m not convinced is a normal cat. Ha, more reasons to laugh.

However or whatever you celebrate, we hope the new season ushers in a breath of purrfectly delightful fresh air with love and laughter.

Love,

Clyde, Odin, Domino, Nou Nou & our human typewriter, Layla