Every year around March 20th, a quiet legend resurfaces: that on the spring equinox, you can balance a raw egg upright on a flat surface. As if the universe itself holds it steady, just for a moment.
The science? It's actually a myth. You can balance an egg on any day of the year with enough patience.
The earth's gravitational pull doesn't shift on the equinox. Yet National Geographic Kids will still tell you to try it. With a tiny pinch of salt as a base, then gently blow the salt away for a "magical" reveal.
Here's what I love about that.
The trick works not because of cosmic forces, but because of attention. You slow down. You steady your hands. You hold your breath just long enough to let something fragile find its footing. Isn't that exactly what renewal asks of us?
I first came to understand the deeper power of the equinox through my dear friend and colleague, Donna Henes. Urban Shaman, ceremonialist, and one of the most gifted ritualists I have ever known.
Donna, who passed in 2024, was legendary for gathering crowds in public spaces, most memorably at the World Trade Center, to balance eggs together on the vernal equinox. She had a way of taking the ancient and making it feel utterly alive and present, turning a sidewalk into sacred ground and strangers into a community.
I feel her absence especially in these threshold moments, the ones she taught us all to notice, to honor, and to celebrate. This season, I carry her with me.
It was Donna who first opened my eyes to the egg not just as a symbol, but as a living spiritual tool.
In Pagan tradition, the egg is the cosmic egg of creation and rebirth. The white represents the Maiden Goddess, fresh, new, full of possibility. The yolk represents the Sun God, warm and life-giving.
At the Spring Equinox, their sacred marriage is celebrated. Light and dark in perfect balance. The world holding its breath before it bursts into bloom.
Spring doesn't arrive with a grand announcement. It shows up in the smell of rain on pavement, in the first brave crocus, in the moment you realize you've left your coat at home and didn't miss it. It's subtle. It rewards the people who are paying attention.
The equinox is a threshold, equal parts dark and light, perfectly poised between what was and what's coming. And it is the perfect moment to ask yourself: what wants to be born in me this season?
This is also the moment the sun moves into Aries, the first sign of the zodiac. For thousands of years, this was the new year, not January 1st. Many cultures around the world still celebrate it as such. There is something grounding about that.
Our modern calendar may have moved on, but the earth, the stars, and something deep in our bones still recognize this as a true beginning.
A Ritual for Renewal: Egg Divination
This is one of my favorite practices to do at the equinox, and one I learned in the spirit of Donna's teaching, simple, grounded, and genuinely magical.
You'll need a hard-boiled egg (unpeeled and undecorated) and a permanent marker.
Begin by sitting quietly and calling to mind four things you might choose to do this spring, possibilities that carry real potential to enrich your life. They don't have to be grand. They just have to feel alive to you. Maybe it's write a book. Maybe it's paddle board, go on a retreat, or simply date, yourself, life, or someone new.
Draw four vertical lines along the egg, dividing it into roughly four segments. In each segment, write one of your four words or phrases.
When you're finished, hold the egg gently in both hands. Feel its weight. Imagine it glowing with soft spiritual light. Quietly ask the energy of the egg to be your guide, to help you see what your soul already knows.
Then sit on the floor or the earth, and roll the egg.
When it comes to rest, look at what word faces up. That is your answer. Not a command but an invitation. A gentle nudge from something wiser than your busy mind. Commit to taking one small action toward that goal before the season turns again.
When you're done, you can eat the egg, receiving its energy into your body, or offer it back to Mother Earth as a gesture of gratitude.
This equinox, I invite you into that energy. Steady your hands. Slow your breath. Let something new find its balance.
Donna knew that ritual doesn't require perfection or pageantry. It requires only your presence and your willingness to pay attention. That is the real magic. It always has been.
Happy Spring. 🌱
P.S. I'll be in Los Angeles the week of March 23, and I'm holding space for a few private sessions while I'm there — including Personal Alignment Sessions, Readings, Space Clearings, and one intimate Spring Visioning gathering.
Spring is a powerful recalibration point, and if you feel called to work together in person, simply reply to this email and we'll find a time.
With love,
Barbara