Source: All Voices - 9/21/13, Dava Castillo
In the Northern Hemisphere we are enjoying cooler days and even cooler nights as autumn breathes the crisp air of fall upon us. The pumpkin fields are amassed with beautiful globes to celebrate the season and doors are decorated with scarecrows and harvest wreaths. But these are our modern interpretations of harvest time and are whimsical reflections of ancient celebrations of the season.
In ancient Britain, dolls made out of corn husks represented the “spirit of the field.” The dolls were drenched in water representing rain, or they were burned to represent the death of the grain spirit. This kind of ritual is familiar to what many know as Burning Man celebrations. The gathering is modernity’s connection with humanity past and present. In the United States, Burning Man is a festival of performance art and creativity culminated by burning a symbolic giant human structure made of wood.
What is the equinox?
The autumnal equinox is when day and night are approximately equal in length. After Sunday, the hours of daylight will become shorter as the sun will rise later and night will fall sooner.
Our ancestors used the sky as both clock and calendar as they observed the path of the sun across the sky. They built observatories to track the sun’s yearly progress. The Incas at Machu Picchu in Peru were able to precisely indicate the date of the two equinoxes and other significant celestial periods.
The Earth is tilted on its axis by 23.5 degrees and the Northern and Southern Hemispheres trade places in receiving the sun’s light. The spring and fall equinox signal when the tilt of the Earth’s axis and orbit around the sun combine so that the axis is inclined neither away from, nor toward the sun.
Celebrate the autumnal equinox as the celestial signpost as the Earth orbits around the sun.
Ways to celebrate the autumnal equinox called Mabon
Mabon is the ancient name for the autumn equinox when the harvest is almost over. The fields are nearly bare because the crops have been stored for winter, or vegetables and fruit have been preserved for winter. It’s a spiritual time when we pause to honor the changing seasons and celebrate the second harvest in spiritual reflection and celebration for the gifts of the Earth. The cornucopia is one of the most famous symbols of the season, with fruit and vegetables spilling out of it signifying abundance.
Gratitude for this bounty can be the centerpiece of your celebration in a restorative self-blessing and thankful meditation. Write a gratitude list with the attitude that gratefulness brings more abundance our way. What are you glad about in your life? Gladness comes in all sizes, from being thankful for a good vegetable crop or having a home to live in to the health and happiness of your family and friends.
If you are an extrovert, you will want a gathering of friends for a festival dinner feast. This year, ask everyone to bring a can of food to donate to a food basket collection site. This way, you are sharing the bounty of your feast with the less fortunate.
Make a family altar to celebrate the Earth’s abundant gifts of food and flowers. If you have children, allow them to draw pictures and write their own sentiments. Handmade items are particularly cherished with pictures and scribed blessings. Mother Nature loves to know she is appreciated and will bless your future.
Celebrating the autumnal equinox is personal and reflects your individual spiritual path as you identify with the gifts of the Earth. Your peaceful connection and participation in nurturing the soil not only ensures its longevity, but also yours as the two rely on each other. The end of summer begins the cycle to rejoice and renew.
Resources:
http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials
Dava Castillo is based in Clearlake, California, United States of America, and is an Anchor for Allvoices.
