Autumn Equinox
Hello and welcome back to the blog! My daughter Shannon is back today with a post about the Autumn Equinox, the threshold between summer and autumn, that we are meeting this week. Enjoy!
Somehow it’s already the Autumn Equinox! Every year, when we reach this threshold, preparing to start our descent into the darker half of the year, I find myself stopping and reflecting over where the year has taken me. There’s something about September that asks us to slow down and cast an eye back over the preceding months. So many people tell me that they feel this around September 1st, when that “back to school” feeling hits. Maybe you feel it then too, the tide pulling us through the last days of summer, pushing us to refine our habits and set ourselves up for an orderly, successful last quarter of the year (thanks Virgo season). Then the feeling hits again around the Equinox, as time stills, light and dark become equal for a moment, and then we start tumbling down the hill towards Samhain (or Halloween) and then the holiday season.
For me, the Autumn Equinox marks the beginning of the best half of the year. I am an autumn and winter person at heart. The dark half of the year is full of so much inner light. It speaks to the mystical part of me, and the time after the Autumn Equinox is full of so much magic. First, we hit the Autumn eEuinox itself, which always happens between September 20th and 24th. This year, the equinox is exact on September 22nd. This is the point when the night and day balance with each other; then from the next day on, the darkness slowly reclaims its majority, grabbing a few more minutes every day until we reach the winter solstice, the longest night. Along the way, we meet Samhain, which takes place on November 1st. You may know Samhain better as the Halloween celebration that spans between October 31st to November 1st. Aisling’s story, in the books in the Of Gods and Monsters trilogy, takes place in the week leading up to Samhain, and then on Samhain itself. This holiday is central to the stories. But we’ll get into that in October.
Back to the Autumn Equinox. Ancient cultures have long observed the solstice and equinoxes, following the path of the sun to show them how to plan their year. The Autumn Equinox tends to fall around the end of harvest season, making this a good time to celebrate the fruits of harvest, or the fruits of summer. A few weeks ago, at the beginning of August, you learned about Lughnasa, the festival that celebrates the beginning of harvest season, when the early summer crops are ripening and ready to be picked. Lughnasa is a sun festival, celebrating the strength and vitality the sun offers at the height of summer. The Autumn Equinox, at the end of the season, is a celebration of all the warmth, growth, life, and bounty we received throughout the summer. Honor the equinox with a home cooked meal, eaten with friends and family. Harvest your last summer crops from your garden (if you have one), or head to the farmers market one more time. Pick one more bouquet of summer flowers, sunbathe outside and let the warmth fill your bones, or get up and watch the sunrise on one of the days around the equinox. You don’t have to do much to honor the Autumn Equinox. But I encourage you to do something, because there’s something powerful about taking time to honor the change of seasons, attuning to the path of the sun, and preparing for the colder months to come.
The Autumn Equinox in Ireland
A remarkable Autumn Equinox sight can be found in Ireland, in County Meath, at the Sliabh na Caillaigh, known as Hills of the Witch or Loughcrew. Loughcrew is an ancient megalithic cemetery, containing tombs that date back to 3000 B.C. One of the largest tombs at Loughcrew, Cairn T, is perfectly aligned to the sunrise at the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes. On the equinox mornings, the sunlight enters Cairn T and illuminates carvings inside. People flock to Loughcrew every equinox to witness this sunrise. Maybe Aisling will make her way there some day!
This image is of Cairn T at Loughcrew, in the Equinox light. This image is not mine, it is from Heritage Ireland, and you can find this image and other’s like it, as well as learn more about Loughcrew, here: https://heritageireland.ie/places-to-visit/loughcrew-megalithic-cemetery/
However you meet the equinox, I hope you take some time to slow down and watch the sunrise one day this week. We’re on our way into autumn, Samhain, and then the season of the Cailleach. Stay tuned, and many equinox blessings to you.
See you next week,
Kelley & Shannon
