Autumn Equinox

Autumn equinox is on 23rd of September this year, at 2.04am BST. It is a scientific point when the Sun is directly above the Earth’s equator, meaning that the day and night are of almost equal length. The name equinox combines the Latin words for Equal (aequus) and Night (nox). It is one of the times in the Solar year when the Sun rises due East, and sets due West – the other being Spring Equinox in March.

It is also said to be the second of the “three harvests.” The first being of grain, at Lammas, and the final , being of flesh, at Samhain. It is easy to see that the harvest at this time of year is that of fruit, with the hedgerows and fruit trees being laden with apples, damsons and berries of all kinds. Remember to pick any last blackberries now, for they won’t be any good after Michaelmas , September 29th as that is when the Devil, it is said, has wee’d on them!

Spiritually, Autumn Equinox is a pivotal point that reminds us of the relationship between light and dark. It is a time of balance, and another step in our personal harvests of reflecting on what we have personally reaped from the year before us. Are we preparing for our Winter ahead? It is a time to naturally withdraw and spend more time indoors. What do we want to create during the darker months, in the time of introversion and introspection? This meditation takes you along a country path to a Sacred Grove of trees in mid Autumn. Enjoy and see what inspiration awaits you there. Click on the image below to be taken there….

But for now, we have the wonderful time between Equinox and Samhain to enjoy. It is the time of much change. The bright sunshine glowing off the trees as they display colours galore. Of spider’s webs adorning just about everything! We may get a frost, we may get showers. Conkers are the treasure of the season, our pockets bulging as we gather them as a reminder of childhood – now using them to politely ask those spiders to stay outdoors. It’s a time of wellies and of mud and of splashing and of the beauty of nature all around us. We must get outdoors as much as we can to enjoy this time of beauty and change.

This year, straight after the Equinox is the dark and new Moon in the sign of Libra. The Moon becomes dark at 22.54 on the eve of the 25th having moved into Libra earlier Sunday evening. I mention it here as Libra is the sign of balance and harmony, so that sense of balance that has been shining down upon us from the Equinox on Friday, is reaffirmed for us here on Sunday. So should you need it, you have another opportunity to examine what feels out of kilter around you, and look to what needs to change, and see in what ways you can bring that balance back to your life. The Dark Moon is a pause, a moment of stillness before the new Moon phase begins. A perfect moment to silence the noise and see what you want for the Lunar month ahead. Click on the image below for a meditation to work with the Dark Moon energy.