The spring time of equal day and night for 2023 is closest to exact on the 18th of March. Sun rise is at 6:33am and 91* East of North. In the Dublin region the alignment of the Sun over the dormant volcano on Lambay Island lines up with the temples on Summerhill and Knockastia (just south of Uisneach). There are many temples aligned with the Sunrise on this day and the most famous is Knowth, close to Newgrange.
If you could stand on the Hill of Tara for the Sunrise on the 18 of March this year you could use the image below with a compass to determine where the Sun will rise, where the Sun will be at High Noon (true midday) and where the Sun will set. But it is only at true midnight that Crom, our flying Water Dragon will be in the Sky blessing the land.
The chart below shows the source material for these calculations. Look closely and see the difference in the 'Daylenght' on the 17th and 19th with regards to the 18th. It is by adding 12 hours to the midday calculation of when the Sun is due south or High Noon that we can calculate the exact mid-night, which as you will notice is not 12:00 but 00:34.
There really is a Starman waiting in the Sky... In the graphic below you can see where the star group named 'Starman' appears in the sky shown in yellow. At the Spring Equinox the 'Starman' crosses both the horizon and the Milky Wayas it pssses over the tail of Crom... "He'd like to come and meet us but he thinks he'd blow our minds"...
At Rathra, a little known but huge 4 ring temple near Castlerea close to the Celtic Druid Temple in north Co. Roscommon - Niamh captured the image below of the Sun setting over the holy mountain Croagh Crom. We watch the Sun sets from Rathra every equinox and as the next images show there is a fantastic alignment of over 60 miles from Croagh Crom to Rathra when the equinox Sun sets in the west.
You can see from the above 'best' selection of images that clouds or no clouds is what give us the chance to capture the glorious moments as the Sun sets behind a pyramid shaped mountain over 60 miles / 100 km away. It started for us on a divining worksop on Rathra and since then we try to get the alignment photo that proves the exact Earrach choice of Rathra's location.
The graphic below shows Crom at true mid night as if seen from the Hill of Tara. Crom is by far the biggest of all star constellations but it is also made of dim stars so a dark night without Moon light or clouds is required to see it. Called Hydra else where for us it is the flying Water Dragon. Here you can see its links to Asian Dragons in that it too chases the bright ball or pearl through the night sky. Procyon is the bright star of Canis Minor (little dog) and rises with Crom long before Canis Major (big dog) Sirius or Bran in the Fionn tradition. Crom's lowest star that touches the Earth is its birth organ and Crom blesses the land from Earrach to Fomhar every night at true mid night. If you see Crom during this time - just say "Crom Abú".
The graphic below shows Crom at true mid night as if seen from the Hill of Tara. Crom is by far the biggest of all star constellations but it is also made of dim stars so a dark night without Moon light or clouds is required to see it. Called Hydra else where for us it is the flying Water Dragon. Here you can see its links to Asian Dragons in that it too chases the bright ball or pearl through the night sky. Procyon is the bright star of Canis Minor (little dog) and rises with Crom long before Canis Major (big dog) Sirius or Bran in the Fionn tradition. Crom's lowest star that touches the Earth is its birth organ and Crom blesses the land from Earrach to Fomhar every night at true mid night. If you see Crom during this time - just say "Crom Abú".
Happy Earrach / Spring Equinox to everyone - never mind the clocks getting changed - the days get longer and Nature wakes up and food crops grow. May more of us wake up and grow too.
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