Fall Equinox, 2023
Dear, Compassionate and Enduring Children of the Earth,
The Autumnal Equinox is here! The Great Wheel of the Year is turning. We have reached the point when Day and Night are of equal length. Days wil begin to shorten and Nights lengthen as we turn towards the Winter Solstice in December.
We can all feel the shift in the light. In the Northern Hemisphere, the energy of all the vegetation is going back into root systems and preparing for winter. We humans are also feeling the need to draw in and prepare.
Harvest festivals, sharing what we have with others, preparing our homes for cold or rainy weather, and remembering those who have passed are all a part of this season.
For many Pagans, Mabon or Second Harvest (the First Harvest Festival taking place at Lammas on August 2nd) is celebrated with feasts, apple picking and pumpkin carving, the lighting of hearth fires and candles to welcome this time of slowing down and turning toward the dark.
In the language of Astrology, the Autumnal Equinox happens when the Sun enters the Sign of Libra, symbolized by the scales and reflecting the idea of balance.
This Equinox is defined by the Sun (the Life Force) in opposition to Neptune (Sensitivity and Connection). Sensitivity is not weakness, it's the ability to understand the world around us on many different levels, not only intellectually or physically.
This Equinox it's especially important to pay attention to the less obvious, the tender and simple. Our secret longings, our dreams, our needs that we may have put aside are all asking for recognition now.
The Sun is also in an easy relationship with Pluto (Power) giving us an inner strength to be true to our inner knowing.
Whatever is going on in your life, you might use this time to sense what has gotten out of balance for you. This Equinox is the perfect time to bring it all back into alignment.
Blessed be,
Mary
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Though I Knew Love Before
Not until my world dissolved
in an instant did I begin to understand
the communion of hearts.
Not until I could not put one minute
in front of the next did I begin
to understand infinite devotion.
Not until I lost my own flesh did I begin
to understand the muscle of spirit.
I will never love the loss, never,
but I love the life that rushes in after.
I love the intimacy
of those who have lost--
how we find each other and offer
our open embrace, our unwalled affection,
our wildest wishes for peace.
Not until I was consumed
by the great wave of love
did I know not to fear
the great wave of love.
Only then did I learn how love
not only carries us,
it transforms who we are forever.
...Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer
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Please investigate the links below for more information about the Autumnal Equinox and Mabon:
https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/everything-you-need-to-know-september-equinox/
https://www.mabonhouse.co/mabon
https://wemoon.ws/blogs/pagan-holiday-traditions/fall-equinox
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