Well, a Blessed Mabon and a Joyous Autumn Equinox to everyone! Fall has officially started (though the 87F temperature outside defies the season change) today. This means that the day and night are equal today in length. From here out, the nights will grow longer then the days, progressively getting longer and the days getting shorter until the next seasonal change - Winter Solstice. Of course at Winter, it is the longest night of the year.
I had someone ask me what the Autumn Equinox meant. And I was surprised. Even before I declared myself formally in the Pagan catagory, the season changes were something I always observed - and always knew their meaning. So it seemed strange to me that some never bothered, or never thought to learn what it was all about.
There are of course four seasons in the year. And they are marked off as Vernal (Spring) Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumnal Equinox, and Winter Solstice. On the two Equinox - Spring and Autumn - the days and nights are equal in length. It's where the word originals; the concept of being equal. The solsitices however are opposites. For Summer, it is the longest day of the year; for Winter, the longest night of the year. See, the seasonal markers are all about the progression of the earth in it's orbit around the sun, definining the slow course of light and darkness.
The days grow longer from Winter through Spring (where they're equal) though Summer (where the day is longest). From Summer's high point, the days slowly grow shorter, though still longer then the night. At Autumn, they are equal again and then move onto being shorter and shorter until Winter, where the day is the shortest and the night is the longest it will be all year. And then the cycle starts anew.
So autumn is a time when things begin to slow. The days begin to give way to more night and of course, in most places, the colder weather creeps in. Autumn gives us one last chance at enjoying summer's bounty and beautiful harvest before we turn our attentions to the long Winter to come.
Celebrate today. Enjoy the fruitfulness of your lives, the bounty and good fourtune you've had - even if it's not much, there are always things to be happy for and greatful of. Eat and make merry with your family and friends; and remember the warm months under the sun and thank whomever you thank for such riches. The simple pleasures of a warm summer day are often overlooked, but today, as it slowly closes, remember that and celebrate it.
Blessed Mabon and Joyous Autumnal Equinox to all.
~ castles of sand by Memory and Dream
at 9/22/2004 01:29:15 PM ~
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