Fall Equinox

By Dulce Bell-Bulley

September 22^nd marked the fall equinox and heralds the beginning of autumn. This is a time when the Sun moves into Libra on a day where sunlight and night are equally balanced. Interesting that the scales of Libra strive to balance and that the autumnal equinox perfectly balances time between light and dark dividing the day into a perfect 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night.

Traditionally this time of year has been one of celebration of the harvest. Druids once burnt a cloth man, or a "vegetation man" to celebrate the gift of nature’s store to the human family. This custom has recently been revived at Burning Man – a fall festival that takes place at this time of year in the desert in Nevada. During this festival a giant effigy of a man is burnt. Often times this wooden man looks like a huge scarecrow. It is unknown if the festival participants understand that this tradition is many hundreds of years old and that they are celebrating the gift of vegetables and the spirit of growing things.

In Christianity the equinox is celebrated as Michaelmas, the feast of the Archangel Michael. The Archangel Michael is associated with the planet Mercury, the great communicator. He is also associated with Thoth, the Egyptian God of the Dead, as he balances (the Libra theme again) and weighs the deeds of the dead between their good and their bad acts. Michaelmas is a time to settle debts, pay the rent and to prepare financially for the months ahead. At Michaelmas a fatten goose is eaten to symbolically protect the feasters from the possibility of famine in the coming winter.

In these days as the season turns geese fill the skies as they fly overhead on their way to warmer weather. This is a good time to remember geese in their journey. How wonderful it is to hear their honking as they fly by. It is said that the geese in the back honk to encourage the geese upfront and to let them know they are still with them. Their partnership is another of Libra’s lessons.

As we enjoy the shift of seasons it’s good to remember the gentle creatures who share the earth with us. It’s good to remember the bounty of the fields, no matter where they are in this age of transportation. At this fall equinox where the days are perfectly balanced, it’s good to be grateful to the spirit of vegetation and the sweetness of life that provides for all our needs. This is the time to bring balance to the environment of our lives by expressing our gratitude to the natural world. And so… to fresh air, blue skies, refreshing rain, bright sun, good food, health, family, love, art, happiness and to all the creatures everywhere Happy Fall Equinox, and thank you!

Your astrologer,

Dulce

Contact Dulce for readings and further information: 970-464-1312 dulce@astrologybydulce.com