Saturday, March 19 is a super full moon (the biggest full moon since 1983 will rise from the eastern horizon. The moon will appear large because it’s reaching its “perigree”, the closest approach to earth in its orbit.)
The coinciding of these two events have made me want to honor life and the planet in general, so I've been researching ancient rituals, particularly those that do not involve sacrificing anything breathing.
I came upon this on THE LOTUS POND blog which looks to fill the bill
<"a very simple but effective ritual, based on the ceremony suggested by Nancy Brady Cunningham in Feeding the Spirit. Each person chose a seed or bulb that was meaningful to them. We blessed the seeds with a prayer from Campanelli:
"Now is the dark half of the year passing Now do the days grow light and the Earth grows warm I summon the spirit of these seeds Which have slept in darkness Awaken, stir and swell Soon you will be planted in the earth To grow and bring froth new fruit Blessed be!
We sat quietly and visualized our plants in full bloom. Then we invoked each of the four elements necessary for the plants’ growth. We placed the seed in a pot of soil and patted down the earth, poured water on it, breathed on it to represent air and held the pot over a candle (or up to the sun, if outside) to represent the element fire (the warmth of the sun).
Add another layer of meaning to this ceremony by choosing seeds which represent the things you want to grow during the new year- — wisdom, understanding, patience, etc. Visualize those qualities coming into full bloom in your life as you plant your seeds.>
I'm sure some folks would be turned off because this is a "pagan" thing. But I think this transcends a specific religious belief and honors the miracles of transition and growth. And don't we need to get back to acknowledging the true wonder that is our planet, no matter how it came to be?
Regardless, I think we should all take a few minutes on Saturday and Sunday to acknowledge two very wondrous events and say thanks for the opportunity to be a part of it all.
