I revel in the magic and symmetry of the equinoxes – those two occasions in the year when darkness and light occur in absolutely equal quantities. They mark a shift, a subtle but important tipping point in the year. Here in England, the Autumn Equinox that falls today is the time when we shift from more-light-than-dark to the reverse. From tomorrow onwards the days will be shorter and the nights longer. They won’t equal out again until next March, when the spring equinox heralds the start of the long summer days to follow.
And so, today, I find myself equinoxing – pondering the wonder and timefull/timelessness of this seasonal ebb and flow and the perfection of this perfectly poised day when neither night nor day holds sway.
For me, the six months since the last equinox has been a time of special significance. In late March, I was packing my bags to move across the country to be with my child and grandchildren at a time of great need. Now I’m starting to pack again, ready to leave them in their new home and return to my own home in beautiful Somerset.
Here in the East, life simply goes on from day to day. Few people remark on the changes beyond a shake of the head and a comment on how the nights are drawing in. Back in Glastonbury there is no shortage of people wishing to mark each nuance of the natural year – from robed and garlanded goddesses, through drum-bangers, chanters and pipers to those who will joyfully strip off and cavort in the buff around sacred groves and hills.
Me? I’m somewhere between the two. Equinox is a time to stop, to take stock, to consider the lessons, blessings and memories of the past six months, when Summer ruled. It’s a time, too, to contemplate the darker months that lie ahead; long evenings curled up beside the log burner with candles twinkling and a good book, peace and quiet after the frenzied activity of the summer and a chance to dream myself into the next phase of this amazing little drama that is my current ‘life’.
Equinox greetings and blessings to all.
Looking at Life 