Equinox Vibes…
Connecting us to the big picture..
It’s coming up to the Autumn Equinox!
In Australia, of course this time of year means the Autumn Equinox, in the Northern Hemisphere, the Spring Equinox… I shall be speaking to the Southern Hemisphere Autumn shifts in this piece.
What is an EQUINOX?
An equinox happens twice a year – when the sun shines directly over the equator, meaning the earth is tilted neither away from or towards the sun. The Autumn and the Spring Equinox – are opposite, happening at the same time, in perfect balance for both hemispheres of the earth.
On this day, the earth has equal day and night – The earth is the most balanced she will be for another 6 months.
This day also marks one of the two days of the year that the sun will rise and set from due east and due west….
Each event of the Equinox is a solar event, a marker in time of the change in seasons.. this is an expected, never missed cyclical event that has been honoured and celebrated by humanity throughout different cultures, religions and geographies.
Why do we need to notice the Equinox?
I have been thinking a lot about cycles, about connection and mental health… and I truly believe that they are intrinsically linked…
Let me explain…
Ancient cultures and modern cultures from all over the globe have myths, ceremonies and rituals based in this solar event, this time of equanimity for the earth and all who make her home…
- The myth of Persephone for the ancient Greeks, personified the living of summer and the descent into the underworld for the winter…
- The main pyramid at Chichen Itz, Mexico, constructed by the Mayans to see a “snake of sunlight” slither down the steps during the autumnal equinoxes.
- The full moon closest to this equinox is called the Harvest moon… a time for many to give thanks for the harvest & collect for winter.
- Chinese and Vietnamese people celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with lanterns and moon-cakes – dating back to the Shang Dynasty.
This allows these peoples, of these cultures to have a marker in time, a knowing, a place to call home and a real connection to the world and universe around them.
These myths and ceremonies bring a meaning to, and an understanding, of the world around them that is more than pure ‘facts’, more than ‘brain power’ and certainly more holistic and embracing of the whole…
These knowings and understandings of the universe around them were science in story-form… feeding the human soul with what it craves – story, hope, grace and being a part of something greater than yourself
In our modern day, we know the science behind these movements, the exact angles the sun will hit and the exact timing etc… but that is nothing more than interesting facts, without the context or broader environment.
We celebrate and make rituals of birthdays, weddings, funerals and even getting a drivers licence…. but we have lost the art of celebrating the markers in time that the universe, the earth, offers us as well – to bring us back to ourselves, our community, our dependency on all that is around us for health, life and joy!
No, I’m not suggesting we all begin Pagan rituals or dancing naked around the flames.. (however, if that takes your fancy, go ahead…)…
But I am suggesting we reconnect to the earth, to the heavens and live with their cycles and patterns – to be in tune with, and aligned with, where we live, what energy we have around us and what changes will come…
And, so for me, this years Autumn Equinox is a time to settle into, and rest in, perfect balance for a day –
- perfect light and perfect darkness…
- perfect east and perfect west…
- perfect yin and perfect yang…
As with the marking of the equinox, I know that the days will be getting shorter, the temperatures cooler (I hope) and the food on offer different to provide sustenance and cyclical abundance.
The leaves will get browner, some will fall off the trees, the eucalypts will stay fully leafed up, the possums will come into my roof space, my socks will get thicker, and my skin a little dryer…
This equinox I will honour the Creator who perfected this cyclical relationship of the sun and the earth…
I will bring gratitude to the abundant earth for providing all we need throughout the change and cycles of the seasons…
How can the Equinox help your mental health?
There are so many studies out there linking connection to nature with an improved mental health…
Connection to nature is not just swimming at the beach, or walking in the park (both of these lovely things to do, but in and of themselves, not ‘connecting’ to nature)..
Connection to nature, to the earth, to the heavens, is about having a relationship… listening, giving, nurturing and holding…
A reciprocal relationship that honours, sees, feels and connects with…
An opportunity to see your part in the big picture, to change your perspective, to see this time in your life is part of a cycle, that will pass, that can be changed – a new day and season will come.
An opportunity to sit with your own perfect light and dark balance… a time to accept yourself perfectly imperfect, to accept and honour yourself just as you are, to allow all of you to show up and find yourself in the quiet nights of autumn.
An opportunity to be held, just as the ancients were, in myth, in a story greater than your own.. to be given the hope and grace that your humanity demands.
The Equinox is a time to celebrate what has been, to honour what has come and gone, and also to prepare for what is to come – a time of action and energy shifts…
What to do next?
Around the equinox, find some time to:
- journal around what you can let go of for balance
- create a ritual – light a candle, create art, dance, cook a special meal…
- spend time with friends to honour the past year and share stories, laugh, cry and everything in between…
- have a Kinesiology balance – really home in on your balance and stepping into the new cycles…
- read some myths and legends that talk of an equinox or change in seasons…
If you would like any help to find your balance and flow as the season changes, and the sun meets the earth differently, I am but a message away… make an appointment… in clinic or online…
Lisa
If you would like help with any of the above ideas, words or feelings, book a session with me – release the fears, judgments and beliefs that no longer serve you, that hold you back or are blocking your new desired life….
Book in here.