Fwd: A BIT OF NATURE: Autumn Equinox

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Debra Lynn Dadd

 

 

 

A BIT OF NATURE

 

restoring awareness of nature and our place in it

 

 

 

 

22 September 2008 ~ Last Quarter Moon

 

Greetings!

 

Today is the Autumn Equinox, the beginning of the last quarter of the year. Today is also a last quarter moon, which is the beginning of the last quarter of the current moon cycle. So today, is really a "last quarter" day!

 

The Autumn Equinox is the opposite counterpart to the Spring Equinox, which occured in March. While both days mark the "halfway" point between the two solstices, the Spring Equinox marked the halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Summer Solstice, moving from maximum darkness to maximum light, and the Autumn Equinox is the halfway point between the Summer Solstice and the Winter Solstice, moving from maximum light to maximum darkness.

Where the Spring Equinox was a time of emergence, opening, blossoming, moving forward, in the Northern Hempisphere (where I am sitting as a write) everything in life is moving inward, wrapping up, putting away, and making sure it has everything needed to survive through the barrenness of winter.

 

But place has everything to do with what happens during the different seasons. Even though I live in the Northern Hemisphere, I also live in the tropics. Here on the central west coast of Florida, we do have hot summers and cool winters, but the summers are so hot, that summer is the barren season, rather than the season of fullness. Plants, animals and people look forward to the cooler winter, when we have our abundance of citrus. My harvest of tangerines, grapefruits and lemons from the trees in my backyard happens at Winter Solstice. Here it would be appropriate to rejoice at Summer Solstice that the coolness will now return, just as people in northern climes rejoice at the Winter Solstice that the warmth of the sun will now return. And so, for me, the Autumn Equinox isn't about harvest or preparing for the barrenness of winter, but rather looking forward to the most pleasant time of year. The heat and humidity is dissapating and I can breathe again.

 

The last few days, suddenly the temperature is about 10 degrees cooler (85 degrees F instead of 95) and the forecast for the coming week is under 75 degrees at night, which means we can open the windows without sleeping in a furnace.

 

Coming from California, where we had at least a few colorful leaves falling, here in Florida, we have none. We do have a tree called the "Golden Rain Tree" that turns red about this time of year. The oak trees outside my window shed their leaves in the spring, just before the new growth. Life in Florida looks very odd to me after living in California most of my life, but it is nonetheless what it is, and here I live now.

 

In contrast to our modern calendar, which calls September 21, "The first day of autumn," the Autumn Equinox is actually the mid point of autumn. It marks the one day between the longest day and the longest night when the day and night are of equal length. Before the Autumn Equinox, the days are longer; after the Autumn Equinox, the nights are longer, so it truly is the point when darkness begins to prevail.

 

The exact moment of the Autumn Equinox occurs on a different day and time each year because our civil calendar does not line up with the events of nature. It's generally on September 21st or 22nd. Call a local observatory or planetarium to find out the exact date and time each year or search the internet.

 

The Autumn Equinox corresponds to 6:00 pm in the cycle of a day. Your work is done, evening is nigh, and it's beginning to be time to rest. You eat your fill for dinner, so your body will have what it needs to get through the long dark night.

 

Just as the Spring Equinox is about new growth and activity, the Autumn Equinox is about putting things away. It's a day for putting your house in order, making sure you have the supplies you need, canning fruits, assessing your home to make sure it will be tight against winter storms, making sure your finances are in order.

 

Each season has three parts: the beginning, the mid-point, and the end. Autumn begins at the beginning of August, with the celebration of the harvest of the grain. The Autumn Equinox is the celebration of the harvest of the fall fruits and nuts. And at the beginning of November is the celebration of the harvest of the animals, as traditionally they were slaughtered at this time of year because there was no pasture to sustain them through the winter and they were needed for winter food.

 

In the wild, animals are now gathering fruits and nuts to store for winter use, and we can do the same.

 

The Autumn Equinox would be a great time to have a feast of the season and enjoy a meal with apples, pears, nuts, and other seasonal fruits and vegetables. Celebrate with family and friends and recount your blessings and accomplishments.

 

This day is about having gathered our harvest, in whatever form, stocking the larder, knowing we have enough, and giving thanks.

 

Traditionally, too, this is the time when attention begins to focus one's own renewal, rather than activity in the physical world. In past times, when people's lives revolved around seasonal food production, winter was the time for quiet nights around the fire, reading, learning, and socializing. So it's a natural time for spending quiet time alone and becoming aware of one's inner nature.

 

This year for the Autumn Equinox I'm trying a new recipe for cookies made with chestnuts, and working on clearing away things I no longer need in my house. It feels good to let things that no longer serve me drop from my life like autumn leaves, to make way for new growth.

Debra :-)

 

If you would like to comment on this story, or share your own experiences or realizations about this subject, you are welcome do so by clicking on POST YOUR COMMENT below.

 

 

 

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