Balance and Autumn Equinox

The Autumn Equinox will be here in a few days. So what does that mean? Why should anyone care? Especially as a solitary practitioner, what influence does this have for me? Not many give deep thought to what it means beyond another reasons to get together in a circle, chant, drum, then sit and enjoy some cake and juice. It's a celebration, but for what?

I don't often refer to it as Mabon anymore, as I have been trying to explore a variety of seasonal traditions rather than just the standard, Wiccan/Druid Celtic traditions. My background is Eclectic American/ Italian/ Puerto Rican. I've had trouble accepting Greek/Roman or Celtic rituals for as far back as I can remember. I am a woman born from brown-skinned people.....BUT....unlike many of my struggling friends, I can separate that from my Spiritual Self. How many lifetimes, cultures, traditions, folklores, etc have I experienced within my Spiritual Self. So, rather than lock myself in to one cultural celebration, I've been trying to look back to turn of Nature for my spiritual cues.

For me, it is the time of the Autumn Equinox....the second seasonal harvest in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is the time of the Spring Equinox. Isn't that wonderful?
Has it ever crossed your mind (as it has crossed mine) that there simply can't be one way of doing things, when Nature is different everywhere in the world! How can one group/ culture/ spiritual practice claim that there is one style of ritual or celebration, when NATURE...the force of life that guides our very spiritual beliefs, shows us many views around the world? It's even more of a challenge for me this year, having moved from NJ to CA. Where my friends on the East Coast are now talking of falling leaves, pumpkins, etc.....I'm living in the land of sunshine by the ocean and have only experienced a slight change of temperature. We are all still experiencing the same September 2015...but I feel it's important to for us to acknowledge how different our individual experiences are as we find our way down our individual roads...

At the Autumn Equinox, the season has changed. The summer is over and we start to think of the Winter ahead. In a spiritual sense, we take stock of what we've accomplished so far and how it sustains us. Are we like the Ant, who has worked to fill the storeroom with supplies to keep us through the winter? Or are we like the Grasshopper, who has sung and danced and played all summer and now is looking at an empty larder and a brief time till Winter arrives? Me-I'm somewhere in the middle. But cognizant of the modern times and place I live in, I'm not speaking as much of the literal metaphor of life and death, but of spiritual purpose and balance.

At the Autumn Equinox, I reflect and take personal inventory. What has worked and what hasn't worked for me? What is consistently a blessing? What is consistently a burden?  Am I hoarding the blessings I've experienced, or do I share them with others? Am I feeling off-kilter or have I achieved some balance in my life? What do I need to preserve and what do I need to release?

This Autumn Equinox also finds us experiencing a period of Mercury Retrograde. It is an excellent time to go within, reflect, give thanks for all our blessings and let go of that which no longer serves us. In this way, we will be transformed and energized before the coming of the Winter. Renew and recommit to the things that help you on your spiritual path. If one direction isn't working and you want to look at other things, then commit to that exploration. This is the time to look at what will move your forward. Thank your Ancestors and Spirit Guides for their guidance in what is supporting the positive aspects of your life. Honestly look at yourself and commit to the best work for yourself.
Above all....remember that the Equinox is a time of BALANCE. That is the focus of what we strive for. We are always moving and changing....but the fluid energy of our lives strives to know and be in our spiritual CENTER.
I wish you all Blessings, Balance and Abundance this Autumn Equinox. May you find that place of happiness within at your core...