THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX - TIME FOR THANKSGIVING AND RESTORING BALANCE

The Autumnal Equinox marks the first day of autumn, astrologically observed, the sun is entering the sign of Libra. Equinoxes are points in space and time representing a time of balance and intense change, and are symbolically observed as a time of rebirth.

The vernal equinox occurs on the first day of spring and relates to a new cycle of physical birth in the natural world (See “Rites of spring” article), whereas a spiritual rebirth is the focus of many celebrations of the autumnal equinox.

An important aspect of these celebrations is drawing energy back to us, restoring balance and invoking the spiritual powers of healing and renewal to share with others in the cold and darker times of winter. As our planet tilts toward coldness and darkness it is time to pause and give thanks for the physical and spiritual abundance of the harvest of the last six months. The Harvest moon is the full moon closest to the equinox, also the Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated (in Canada) where we come together to share food with friends and family falls close to this date.


In the words of Rudolph Steiner “ Through celebrations in their seasons are the deeper powers of human nature realized.” Many traditions saw this potent moment in time and chose to celebrate it:


In ancient Greece, the annual revival of the Eleusinian mysteries began on the autumnal equinox and lasted 10 days. This longest running theatrical act (400 years) was a reenactment of the mythological story of Demeter and her daughter Persephone’s descent into the underworld. Rites of initiations into these mysteries were performed together with feasting and theatre.


Mabon or Harvest Home is the Wiccan Sabbath that is celebrated on the equinox. It is a celebration of thanksgiving and of the Goddess entering into crone hood, and it is time to pay respect to the impending darkness and the spirit world.


In Japan the Autumnal equinox is time for Higan, the “other shore”, a period of six days of celebration to help participants on the path to enlightment. To cross the wide sea of samsara (illusion) and arrive at the “other shore”, they are asked to imagine a bridge built on the six paramitas (perfections) of: Charity, Morality, Patience, Right effort, Meditation and Wisdom.


The ancient Celts celebrated the harvest time by conducting a mock sacrifice of a large wicker figure representing the vegetation spirit. This ritual has being reborn in the “Burning man project”, a yearly fall festival in Black Rock desert in Nevada. This week of wild creativity culminates with all the participants (35,000 people) dancing around a 50-foot tall figure set ablaze.


The Jewish New Year is celebrated on the new moon closest to the equinox (the seventh new moon after the Spring Equinox). This holiday lasts for 10 days and ends with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (at-one-ment). On the first day of Rosh Hashanah (the new year) the celebrants sing, “today is the first day of creation” or today is the day the world was conceived, (hayom harat olam) and the prayers offer praise for all aspects of creation. For the remaining days they are asked to reconnect to their deeper selves as well as to the community with acts and words of gratitude, to offer forgiveness and service and to ponder upon their individual responsibilities to the world around them. This is a time of deep reflection. The 10th day – the Day of Atonement is a time for repentance (teshuva) and of making commitments to bring about change.


At the time of the equinox, the sun enters the astrological sign of Libra, which begins the second half of the zodiac. In the words of visionary activist astrologer Caroline Casey, “Libra is concerned with the collaborative endeavor of the social world, culture and community”. Libra, a cardinal sign (forward moving energy) of the air element, suggests an attunement to the world of archetypal ideas behind the veil of the physical world. Libra individuals need co-operation and companionship of others in order to feel fulfilled; their motto is ‘ we are’. This sign occupies the 7th house of the astrological chart, the house of relationship. The planet Venus, astrologically considered an archetypal power of beauty, love, justice and harmony rules this sign. The glyph of the sign — suggests scales, or the sun above the horizon. Some see it as the spirit world and the physical earth interacting in equilibrium.


I find it very interesting that all the traditions that are mentioned here focus on the same themes. Thanksgiving is the first and foremost, definitely connected to the natural world at the time of the harvest but it goes even deeper in suggesting a human need to offer gratitude to the life force. This comes from an understanding that our sustenance comes through this bounty of the harvest, and that a benevolent universal force bestows these gifts. We make offerings of thanksgiving in recognition of this bounty.


We are asked to restore balance and right relationship within ourselves and out in the world. The natural world around us is slowing down and directing its energies inward, toward the roots; we too, are invited to descend into ourselves. This is a time for inner reflection, a time to look at what brings meaning to our lives, to heal our relationships to the world around us and restore inner balance.

As we enter into this time of increasing darkness and coldness, a time of death in the natural world, we face the crone hood of the time and the fragility of our own lives. Another cycle has ended. As the seasons are turning we too can choose to turn and renew the dance of creation within and around us with the intention of bringing forth a more beautiful and harmonious way of life that is benevolent to all.

ALL BLESSINGS, ALL LOVE, ALL OF US.