equinox

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Reblog : Standing on the knife’s edge of the equinox

Here is a reblog of my post on the SageWoman’s channel at Witches and Pagans… http://www.witchesandpagans.com/SageWoman-Blogs/the-knife-edge-of-the-equinox.html

Now we are diving deep into the cool waters of the West, into autumn’s light.  The equinox is just around the corner, and the new moon of September passed.  This year we will be blessed by a nearly full moon over the equinox, which is at 21:44 on Sunday, 22 September (where I live in the UK).  The tipping point is near, the balance will shift, and we will enter into the fading times of restful thought, of dreaming in the dark.

This is a pivotal point of the year.  Relishing in that special moment, when day and night are equal, we can ride that wave of energy, humming with all that we bring to it, the sacredness of the time and place in which we celebrate.  Standing at the edge, looking over the horizon for a moment, maybe two; we breathe deeply before we fall forward into our lives once again, with its cycles and spirals.

As we plunge into the depths of the dark half of the year, what will we bring with us along the journey?  Now is the time to think about what it is that we wish to carry forward, and what it is that we wish to leave behind.  It is a time to think about honour, integrity, loyalty, courage and wisdom.  It is a time to look at our actions, at our lives, and see in what way we can live in a more truthful way to our own wild natures, yet still moving within the compass of compassion and awareness.

Are you living your ethical code?  Are you in tune with your moral ideal? If not, now is the time to address that.  Looking over the year, our lives, generations upon generations of souls, we see what seeds have been planted, and which are most beneficial for all.  We carefully collect these seeds, to carry them with us through the dark months, to plant again next year.  We hone our sense of ethics, we look deeply into the meaning of honour.  What actions have we made that have been dishonourable? What will we do to ensure that this does not happen again? How can we live in tune with our ideals, and support our community, our planet, and our universe?

I know I am breathing deeply of late, with prayers into the growing dusk and spending time reflecting upon what has been, what requires change.  For me, autumn is a time of reflection, the light upon the water. And as I stand on the knife’s edge, I hold close to my heart my inspiration, my awen, and laughing I will fall forward into the cool darkness of winter, knowing that the cycle continues.

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Mad as a March Hare

Standing on the edge, with a cosmically delineated point where the tide turns from winter to spring, we teeter on the brink of the spring equinox.  It is a time for madness.

Many of us are not yet ready to run full tilt into the light of the summer sun – not yet ready to pull away from the skirts of winter and face all that summer will bring.  Some of us are more than ready, like a horse left too long in its stall, ready to kick free and run in the fields with the spring grasses underfoot.  Often times these two will clash.  Some of us don’t feel a change at all.

Whether you are ready or not, if you are at all sensitive to the times and tides of nature, this is a time of uncertainty.  Much as with our previous agrarian lifestyle, we don’t know if our crops will fail, whether the seeds we are planting will come to anything.  Our dreaming of winter hangs in the balance – do we dare to take those dreams out of the darkness of inception and into the growing light, or do they need more time, in case they are exposed to the uncertainties much as a late spring frost could easily kill our early seedlings.

It is a time of courage.  Like the seed that sprouts, not certain if the soil is good, its position prominent and well taken, we must go forth into the world out of our winter’s hibernation.  We must find that spark deep within that allows change to happen, for we cannot hibernate forever.

It is also a time of hardship.  All those creatures, especially the herbivores, find this the hungry season, where food is scarce after the long winter’s cold and the summer’s bounty still yet to come.  Our ancestors knew this as the hungry time as well – the last of the winter cabbages and apples gone, awaiting the time of new lambs and calves to provide extra nourishment.  The first of the nettles and primroses are now shining through, with their beneficial nutrients.  We can take this opportunity to learn what it means to be hungry, and also what is available in our own landscapes that can nourish us both physically and mentally.

Hares are visible in the stubble or newly ploughed fields, or running across little country roads.  Boxing males and females are spotted under the light of both sun and moon.  Are they mad as well?

It is a time of great tides, such as the Severn Bore.  Combined with a full moon, rain and storm surges it can cause havoc and severe flooding.  Like the tides of spring and autumn equinox, we can ride them either into the growing light of summer or the fading light of winter.  Is your raft well crafted? Will you be able to hang on?  Are you able to ride the tides and see where they take you?

Like I said, it is a time of madness.