fall equinox 2020

Traditionally the autumn equinox is a celebration of the harvest when summer ends and its fruits are collected in preparation for winter. Yet there are other indicators given by the most ancient sacred sites that mark the autumn equinox.

On the day of an equinox, daytime and nighttime are of approximately equal duration all over the planet. There are the scientific approach developed throughout the ages - astronomical, meteorological, phenological.

Digital Art of Robert Jahns

In astronomy all four seasons start along with the equinoxes and solstices. Before the Southward or September equinox - autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring in the south - the Sun rises and sets more northerly. After the equinox it rises and sets more southerly. 

In contrast meteorology divides a year into four seasons - spring, summer, autumn or fall, and winter. Three months for each based on their monthly average temperatures, with summer as the warmest and winter the coldest. 

Phenology applies a range of environmental and biological indicators to mark life cycles in periodic events. How the weather and climate influence such events, like leaves falling off trees or birds migrating to warmer countries. 

There is as well the spiritual traditions and beliefs passed on in different cultures - transformative quest, esoteric significance, ancestral practice. 

What was known to the ancients is the part darkness plays in the work of spiritual transformation. Those in the orthodox superstitiously fear it, and many in the new age completely ignore it. But at the autumn equinox, it can be found in the cycles of nature, and the alignment of our planet—and traces of it can be found here and there in ancient legends and myths that have become distorted over time. ~ Mark Pritchard (Belsebuub) & Lara Atwood, The Path of the Spiritual Sun

Digital Art of Robert Jahns

Ancient seers believed the message of a journey to enlightenment is written in the cycles of the sun and stars, in the movements of the earth and the cosmos. The roots of this knowledge trace to a distant time before a global cataclysm destroyed a prior civilization. 

However over time strife and persecution took its toll and after a while it was either hidden or lost. What we have left are scattered fragments that echo a bygone era of great spiritual knowledge which many hope to return to. 

In the meantime, different communities and sects, work to restore the lost knowledge. Hoping to recreate a more enlightened world for ourselves here today. One directed towards living rather than the current destructive road to extinction. 

Our world continues to twist and turn as we travel through the seasons. This year has made us question reality and imagine new possibilities. There is still Change up ahead, Challenges we have yet to face. Take time this season to sit in balance with the sun and the moon, breathing in prayer, breathing out blessings for the good of all. ~ Oak Chezar © Mother Tongue Ink 2019