The Autumn Equinox occurs at 9:30 AM tomorrow where I live, but, truthfully, Autumn has been settling in the North Country since Lúnasa concluded. The trees have been shifting for weeks. (We take this very seriously in New York State. We even have a map to help us determine the best times to view “peak foliage”!) Goldenrod and asters resumed the mantle previously held by Queen Anne’s lace and black eyed Susans. The apples on my neighbor’s tree have been blushing since August.
School begins in early September. That, along with the environmental transformation, is always one of the biggest signals to Summer’s end in my eyes. And my goodness, what a transition that has been…
The Equinoxes are, astronomically, about balance. The amount of daylight and darkness is equal (more or less). Once we cross the threshold, we begin the steady march toward the longest night of the Winter Solstice.
I’ve been considering balance a lot these days, especially how to balance my career (the big pay check) with my new passion job (being an author). What’s more, sometimes I worry that I spend more time doing those things than practicing my Druidry! It helps when I pause and consider how my Druidry, and all the values it espouses, weave into my other roles.
Druidry is my foundation. It roots and guides me. All my other obligations and hobbies are my branches. My spiritual practice feeds the branches, providing the nourishment and structure for them to flourish. Occasionally, I have to drop a few branches, but that only strengthens the health of the overall tree–me!
So when I feel spiritually dethatched, “out of balance,” if you will, I return to my roots. What do the virtues show me? How does the lore relate to what I’m working through? How am I serving the deities and the land? How am I honoring my ancestors? Considering these helps me realign.
My Autumn Equinox looks very different from those of previous years, but time outside to reflect and celebrate the season is a constant for me. I hope you are able to reach down into your roots and nourish your various branches so that you remain a strong and steady tree. Blessed Equinox!
Author M. A. Phillips 