Fall Equinox – Saturday, September 22, 2018

Richard JelusichBlog

There is a certain sweetness for me at this time of year. Perhaps it is one of my favorite times, as I can sense the changes in sunlight, the length of the days, the feeling that I get of the movement towards letting go of what is no longer needed, and the beauty around me I see and feel as summer wanes. 

We live on our breathing Mother Earth, a planet that when we in the north at this time of year are moving into less light the people in the south are moving into more light. Always about balance, isn’t it?

The sweetness I feel is in the air – that sense of the movement of the cycles and rhythms of our planet and we her children – our very bodies and clothing all provided by Mother Earth. We are as much a part of Earth as we are with our own mothers.

The sun on the day of the Equinox (Spring and Fall) is about equal in the length of day and night. In the northern hemisphere we move into the lesser light in different ways, but we all feel the energy of the changes. For where some people live it means trees will let go of their leaves. For others, the desert will signal its movement into fall by cooler evenings. For others it is time to harvest the crops, as they have ripened to their fullness.

Because you and I are spiritual beings first, who also have a physical presence, the movement of the seasons is very symbolic of our lives: bursting forth and new beginnings (spring), coming to fruition and the ripening of our labors (summer), letting go of what is no longer needed (fall), going within and conserving that which is vital (winter).

I have been taking people to the land of the Mayans in Central America for many years to study their spiritual understanding of life and the universe. Vast complexes like the one we know best at Chichen Itza has its structures deliberately aligned with cardinal and celestial points.

At equinoxes, the 9 ‘edges’ of the pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza cast shadows in the morning and evening on its staircase, creating 7 diamond patterns of light (and 6 diamond patterns of shadow) connecting the head and tail of the cosmic serpent Kukulkan. This is to indicate the balance of Heaven (spirit) and Earth (physical); that they are two sides of the same coin, as are you and I both spirit and physical.

Again, it is always about balance. There is no better teacher than nature, as it ‘re-sets’ our bodies and minds to the natural order and rhythm of our universe. So many cultures have respected nature and centered their lives by living harmoniously with cosmic cycles and rhythms by the very layout of their structures and even the shape and orientation of those structures, as seen all over the world.

This is something we are now coming into more awareness; the wisdom of our ancient peoples (who were us!) in their focus on natural laws of the universe. As we nest ourselves in these rhythms, our lives take on more purpose and focus, and we cease our struggles against nature. How many times have you seen land being cleared, buildings

being constructed, with no thought to the season of the year, the nature spirits or the karma and the energy of the land itself? How many buildings have been built on natural vortexes with no real knowledge of their existence?

A part of this learning is you, dear reader, to understand what the equinox is really all about. It is similar to the leaves that provided the energy to the tree, whose job is done and thus the leaves fall to Earth where they may be absorbed back into Mother to begin anew.

This time is about balance between light and shadow, spirit and body, and to maintain that balance by letting go of that which has served you and is no longer needed. Letting go, for some, is not so easy because we always enjoy guarantees of our future. And thus we usually try to control the outcome, in a similar way we try to control nature by overcoming it without living in accordance and balance WITH it.

Let go of what has served you and no longer needed. Harvest the fruit of your labors and celebrate your abundance. Balance yourself in the natural rhythm and pulse of our universe. Go out in nature and absorb her healing goodness.

Hold ceremony on the equinox to acknowledge Mother Earth and her wisdom.

There is always a divine flow to all things: it always exists. It is up to each of us to surrender to that flow, to let go of the ego and live in the natural rhythm of our cosmos.