Magic of the Equinox

The Magic of the Equinox... or Go Stand an Egg

A Post in Five Short Parts:

·         The Equinox Phenomenon

   ·         How I Discovered It

      ·         Naysayers

         ·         Real Magic

            ·         A Useful Conclusion

Those of you who have never heard of this particular phenomenon of the equinox will want to read carefully.  I’m about to tell you about something truly magical.  Not an illusion.  Real Magic.

Several years ago on a sunny morning in March, I walked into the teachers’ lounge of the school where I taught.  The Librarian, for whom I had a great deal of intellectual respect, had just finished standing an egg on its end.  And there it stood.  “That’s odd,” I thought… so I asked about it.  She told me that an ordinary chicken egg (and presumably any other similarly-shaped egg) will stand on end on only two days each year: the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. 

For those of you who haven’t studied astronomy for a while, the equinox is a particular point (actually two points) in Earth’s revolution around the sun.  At the equinox, the rotational axis of the planet is tangential to the sun.  In other words, on the day of the equinox Earth’s axis does not point either toward or away from the sun.  This means the sun at noon appears to be directly over Earth’s equator, and day and night are of equal duration all over the planet.  This happens only twice each year, on March 21 and September 21 (give or take a day due to the irregularities of the calendar).  The vernal equinox is also known as the first day of spring, and the autumnal equinox is the first day of autumn.

Now, back to that sunny morning at school.  I thought my friend the Librarian was joking around with me.  After all, I’ve fallen victim to more than my share of practical jokes.  So I laughed.  She smiled knowingly and told me she was serious.  Rolling my eyes, I sat down at the table and picked up one of the several eggs she had brought.  In a matter of 20 or 30 seconds, I had it standing on end.  “Easy,” I told her.  “I could do this anytime, so stop pulling my leg.”  Again she smiled.

A week or so later I ran into her again.  “Have you tried standing any eggs lately?” she asked sweetly.  “No,” I responded.  I knew what she was referring to, and decided to slam-dunk her silly game once and for all.  Once more, I sat down at the same table with an egg and attempted to stand it on end.  Though I tried for five full minutes, I could not do it.  Reluctantly at first, I began to believe in the Magic.

Over the following years, I have stood eggs on end at nearly every equinox.  Several times I have tried to do the same on other days of the year.  Those attempts have almost always ended in failure, although on one or two non-equinoctial occasions I have, with great difficulty, stood an egg.  On the equinox, though, the ease with which an egg will stand up and salute is astounding.  Within a few minutes I am usually able to stand three, four, or five eggs on end.  And there they will stand, if not disturbed, for as much as a day or two, before the equinoctial magic fades and they fall over, one at a time.

Some of you reading this are shaking your heads about now.  “That Gryphem…” you’re thinking, “He really is gullible.”  That’s okay.  Maybe you’ve searched the internet and found that nearly every self-professed scientist commenting on the subject says the egg-standing phenomenon is a myth.  That’s okay, too.  I know what they say, and I know what I have seen and done.  So here’s a short sidebar about science.

When I was in middle school I was taught that the proper way to employ the scientific method is to begin with an open mind.  The scientist asks a question, observes, formulates a hypothesis, designs and conducts experiments, and draws conclusions.  That’s how this observer, once skeptical, came to believe in the phenomenon of eggs on the equinox.  Sadly, most of what I have heard from scientists about this phenomenon has been dogmatic, not scientific.  Most flatly deny that it happens at all.  In my humble opinion, most do this for one simple reason: they do not understand it.  Denial of the incomprehensible is a psychologically valid human reaction.  This egg-equinox thing is threatening to some people because there is no known reason that it should happen. 

Let me say that again.  No one has ever convincingly explained why an egg will stand easily on these two days of the year and not on others.  Those who consider science to be a body of knowledge rather than a method for gaining knowledge are threatened by this.  They lack an explanation of cause and effect, so they deny the entire phenomenon.

Many scientists have been condescending about this whole subject, but a few have made a real attempt to investigate and learn.  The fairest treatment I have found among skeptics was from a scientist who demonstrated (complete with photos) that he could stand eggs on end even on days far removed from an equinox.  I do not doubt him.  What was missing from his explanation was the degree of difficulty on the equinox as opposed to other times of year.  I once saw it snow in September… but that doesn’t mean that snowfall is equally common in every month.  A snowfall in September does not change the fact that snow is far more likely in January. 

But enough of this stuff about scientists.  This is supposed to be about Magic.  Here’s the bottom line.  No one can explain why the eggs stand on the equinox, but they do.  There is magic in that.

Some claim that magic is only science that hasn’t been explained yet, and I would not necessarily disagree.  But magic is more than that, too.

Someday, a clever, open-minded scientist may discover why the eggs will stand on the equinox.  The good news on that day, from my perspective, will be this:  It will still be Magic!  Magic, whether completely obscure or whether explained in scientific terms, consists not only of a phenomenon, but also of an effect on the observer.  The mysterious nature of some experiences may inspire us to think in magical terms.  But there is more to Magic than that.  Some experiences that are quite well understood are nevertheless magical because they invoke in us a certain amazed response.  Beyond mere reason, they inspire us.  Magic may consist in the mysterious unknown cause (or effect) of an event, or in the awe we feel when that event occurs in our presence.

Have you ever stood in a field late in the day, facing west, and watched the sky evolve toward sunset?  Strands of pink begin to appear across the blue… then patches of fuchsia form high on the right , while an indescribably deep golden yellow takes shape low on the left… and the glory of the sunset makes you gasp with a feeling that is part praise and part love.  That is Magic.

Have you ever closed your eyes in a vast concert hall as the orchestra brings you to the crescendo of a musical experience that touches your soul?  Have you ever sensed your heart seeming to rise within you as you feel, more than hear, the musical vibrations that resonate all around you with the Meaning of Life and the Universe?  That is Magic.

Have you ever had the privilege to sail through a sea of bioluminescence, living points of light below you mimicking stars above, as you sail between two worlds in the center of all creation?  That is Magic.

Have you ever seen a baby in the arms of his or her loving parents, considered how that baby spontaneously came into being because of their love, realized how they determined, consciously or unconsciously, that it was time for this child to arrive?  Have you reflected on the marvel that this little human being, newly brought forth into this existence, looks a bit like the father, a bit like the mother, and is still completely unique in the history of humanity?  That is Magic.

Perhaps you have seen a seed fall to the ground, become covered with dirt and leaves, and lie through the long winter, to all appearances dead and gone… and then in the spring you watch it sprout.  A new seedling suddenly pops forth from the ground into the atmosphere, a stem and a single leaf reaching for the sun.  What triggered the rebirth?  It wasn’t sunlight, absent from that subterranean darkness, but somehow the grain of life within the seed knew the right time to come forth.  We are privileged to watch in wonder, even perhaps to benefit from the appearance of the new living plant… but I suspect the actual knowing, the transcendent essence of the experience may be beyond our ability to grasp completely.  A biologist might explain the process… but it’s still Magic.

So this morning at dawn I went straight from my bed to the kitchen, where I proceeded to stand an egg on this first day of spring.  Patiently I held it upright between my fingers, moved it slightly, waited to see how it would find its own balance.  Without warning, the egg began a dance of its own, bouncing ever so slightly from side to side, moving back and forth independently, almost imperceptibly, in response to an invisible force, seeking its own perfect position.  As always, I felt a thrill as the egg abruptly and inexplicably vibrated as if electrified, then settled peacefully into a stable upright position. 

Maybe we never will understand the forces that cause this phenomenon.  Or maybe someday, someone both intelligent and intuitive will explain.  Either way, it is still Magic.

I realize some of you may find this whole thing kind of silly.  You may think I am deluded and even if not, you ask, what difference this could possibly make to anyone?  You wonder why we should spend any time at all thinking about something so pointless.  You ask, “What does it matter?”  In response, let me share two great truths I have realized. 

The first truth is factual.  As wonderful as science is, as much knowledge as we modern human beings have gained, we don’t know it all.  There are still many mysteries all around us.  To neglect this would be arrogant, and also would spell the end of learning. 

The second truth is personal and evocative.  Mysterious and awesome things in our world are too often overlooked.  To perceive our world fully we should make an effort to look beyond the obvious, to see like a child without preconceptions standing in the way to obscure beauty and mystery.  To come as close as we can to understanding the big Meaning of Life, we must humble ourselves.  Only when we are humble in mind and spirit are we able to recognize the greatness around us, acknowledge the Magic, encounter the amazement, and experience the awe that by rights should be a part of our human experience. 

If you are reading this on the day it has been posted (or any subsequent equinox), I recommend that you go stand an egg.  But if not, don’t fret.  Even if the most recent equinox is past, the next is no more than a few months away.  Open your eyes to the unexpected and the unexplained.  Practice amazement.  Acknowledge the mystical, the magical, the wondrous and the awesome that exist all around you.  Affirm and embrace the Magic.  I do, nearly every day.  My wish for you is an astonishing life filled throughout with miraculous and meaningful encounters.

Blessings,

Gryphem