The Autumnal Equinox for 2007 is Sunday, September 23
"Lord, it is time. The summer was very big. Lay thy shadow on the sundials, and on the meadows let the winds go loose. Command the last fruits that they shall be full; give them another two more southerly days, press them on to fulfillment and drive the last sweetness into the heavenly wine."
- Rainer Maria Rilke
September 2005
The Autumn Equinox marks the arrival of...well....autumn, which will sneaking up to us this Thursday! We've been taking care to notice the signs of its arrival. Some leaves have already begun to fall, most notably the tulip poplars and the trees with long, skinny leaves...(I promise myself to identify it soon). I noticed a herd of monarch caterpillars chowing furiously on my rue bush, which is pretty mush annhilated and we've finished harvesting grapes and basil.....bye bye pesto.
Did you realize that "equinox" means equal night ? That is because the day and night are equal in length on the equinox.
Ancient agricultural societies celebrated the harvest with festivals of one kind or another , usually marking them with sacrifices to ward off evil spirits. The burning of the corn dolly is associated with the death of the corn god and the crossing of the border between the long days of light and the long days of darkness.
We plan on welcoming autumn with a bonfire, stories, decorating the backyard in ribbons and rocks with symbols and paintings on them and a modest feast . The feast will include cornbread, acorn squash& sweet potato soup and an apple pie. We'll also have some nuts. Here, my pagan tendenicies shine.
We will also be harvesting some apples at the Carter Mountain apple festival next weekend ! What doesn't say fall is here like fresh mountain air and tasy apples ?
Soon, more leaves will fall and I found a great place online to download leaf album templates. I heard someone say that because it has been dry here in Richmond, Va, there won't be a spectacular show of colors in the trees this year. I've not got a great deal of knowledge in this area but I know a little place where one can find stuff out in a flash.....here's a good place to start: The Chemistry of Autumn Colors. By the way, this sight indicates the OPPOSITE of what I heard someone say today. According to the chemists, the brightest colors occurr when dry,sunny days are followed by cool, dry nights....go figure.
And in case you were wondering about how other cultures do and have celebrated the arrival of Autumn , which often coincides with harvest time, check out one of my favorite websites: Religious Tolerance.org
, it is fascinating and enlightening.
Also, if you'd like to learn more about living in rhthym with the seasons, visit Waverly Fitzgerald's site , School of the Seasons. It is a simple and relaxing place to rest and learn.
Hope you have an easy transition into autumn :)
SOME CHILD ORIENTED AUTUMN PAGES for you learning pleasure:
UPDATE for 2007
I thought I'd share another interesting fact about the equinox. I remember learning this in school and it turns out to be completely false!
Did you ever try and balance and egg on the equinox? Well, science says that with enough stick-to-it-iveness you can do that anytime of the year, NOT just on the equinox. This industrious person conducted egg balancing experiments and recorded his findings HERE.
This autumnal equinox I'll be baking some Honeyed Seed cake from one of my favorite books, Circle Round: Raising Children in Goddess Traditions.
We'll have a lovely fire and invite some neighbors over. In preparation, we will work in the yard, put some flower beds to rest and tend to the new fall garden. We'll also decorate the yard again with a bamboo alter and ribbons.
This year, I've been enjoying a sweet little place called The Pooka Pages, a super special place for little Witches. Me thinks a little three year old witch will be making an Apple Dump Cake and this Mabon, also known as the Witch's Thanksgiving. This site is filled with charming stories for big and little pagans.
