What spiritual wisdom is contained within the autumn equinox?
This week has seen a lot happen in the natural world around us.
We have enjoyed the full harvest moon, the autumn equinox, the seasonal celebration of Mabon, and the beginning of Fall - the season of pumpkin spice lattes and golden-orange leaves, of warm wooly jumpers, and soft snuggly scarves.
Yes, autumn is a season dear to my heart.
The harvest moon is traditionally the full moon closest to the autumn equinox, and this moon shines far brighter and longer than previous moons, enabling farmers to stay out later to harvest the crops that will see them through a long, cold winter.
Another name for September's full moon is the Full Corn Moon.
Harvested grain crops last throughout autumn and winter, and their seeds can be sown later on, thus beginning the whole cycle of bud, blossom, and bloom that returns every spring and summer.
There is an ancient folkloric tradition, too, where the last sheaf of corn to be harvested was crafted into a corn dolly.
It was believed that the spirit of the corn lived inside the sheaf - and so the last sheaf, once scythed, was transformed and kept in pride of place in the home until being returned to the earth upon the return of spring.
The harvest moon is not only a glowing, golden reminder of our place in an unimaginably huge universe, but its fullness and light also reminds us to shine a light on the months that have passed, and to harvest our experiences - both good and not-so-good.
It reminds us to take the seeds and the lessons from these experiences so that we can sow them into our future.
What wisdom can we harvest
from the seasons that have passed?
The full moon is magical and powerful, reminding us to take stock of all that we have achieved, and as we journey through the seasons, we reflect on our cyclical nature - ever-changing yet constant in its wild rhythm.
The Celtic goddess Arianrhod - whose name means 'silver wheel' - was a lunar goddess, presiding over the seasons and cycles of time.
The autumnal equinox, which comes from the Latin for 'equal night' - and occurred on Wednesday of this week - marked the beginning of autumn.
It also marked the seasonal harvest festival of Mabon - based on a mythic figure who was the child of light and mother earth.
This balance between air and earth is reflected in the perfect balance between light and dark that occurs at the equinox.
What feels balanced in our life today, and where is there an imbalance?
What can we do to gently bring ourselves back into equilibrium, and how can we tilt with the ever-changing needs of our life?
As the earth offers us an abundance
of nuts, seeds, and berries at the beginning of autumn,
we are invited to count our blessings,
to offer up gratitude as a prayer,
and to share our bounty with those we love.
The hedgerows are bursting with luscious fruit right now - with apples and blackberries, rosehips and damsons, and our mind naturally turns to thoughts of abundance.
What have been the lessons of spring and summer?
Who and what are we thankful for?
How can we share something of these gifts, and our heart and soul, with others?
As the year becomes cooler and darker, we may choose, too, to curl up warm and look at our shadow with love - excavating our ego and our subconscious, uprooting the weeds of limiting beliefs that do not serve us and will not help our future growth and evolution.
How have we changed over the past few months, and what is our intention as we move forward through autumn and winter?
What word can we choose to light our path ahead?
Life is a constant wondrous cycle, and every autumn, I welcome the opportunity to let go with the falling leaves and drop what no longer nourishes me.
What are you ready to let go of?
I choose to trust that this release of energy will allow me to create something fresh that better serves me in this new season - which is, as the poet John Keats once said, the season of 'mists and mellow fruitfulness'.