Equinox over the Amazon

The astronomical Equinox is the specific moment when the sun crosses over the equator. In March 2018, that’s at 16:15 UTC on the 20th.  From an earthly perspective, the sun will be directly overhead specifically where it is also solar noon at that time: in the great rainforest of the Amazon, along the Itapara River, not far from Manaus, Brazil, where the Rio Negro meets the Amazon, the world’s biggest river.

For our meditation (on our YouTube channel, starting at 16:00 UTC, or on your own through the moment of the Equinox), you will be invited to envision how that will look and feel: a brilliant midday sun directly over the dense leafy canopy of the rainforest trees. Were you standing in a clearing, you would only cast a shadow directly under your feet. But most likely, you’d be in the deep shade of the rainforest. In the rainforest, you are surrounded by aliveness, the rich smells of soil and fungus, the sweet and sharp smells of flowers and fruits, the brilliant colors of birds and insects flying between branches and vines. Every mature tree is a habitat of its own, hosting dozens of other plants on its trunk and limbs, with uncountable insects, plus frogs, birds, snakes, squirrels, monkeys climbing through it at any given time. Imagine taking in that exuberant vitality and living interdependence, and using it to feed your own loving kindness, to grow ubuntu and agaya within you.

Here are a few images that will help you to see it.