Wed 24 Feb 2010
An equinox is a balancing point in time for the yearly movement of the Sun. It is a time of balancing the darkness and the light. This does not mean balancing good and evil, but means the balancing of the internal and external. The darkness is the interior, introspective mind set. The light is the exterior or outgoing aspect of life.
The winter is a time of interior thinking, self examination and introspection. The Summer is the outgoing, the active. This mirrors the power of the Sun. Balancing the two takes place in different ways at different latitudes.
At the equinox, day and night are perfectly balanced at the equator. It is the time when the Sun is directly over the Equator at true noon. In effect, it is the time when the Sun appears to be entering or leaving our hemisphere (our half) of the planet.
Because of this, it is a time to begin to shift into a different mode of action. In the Fall we begin to prepare ourselves for the darker days and colder weather. We make plans to make sure we are safe. In the Spring we begin to make bold steps toward new activities, new ideas.
The ceremonies at this time should reflect these changing times. The Fall is usually a harvest ceremony celebrating the abundance of the earth and the goodness of the gift of life. It celebrates the storage of the power of the Sun contained in the food we store. This power carries us through the time when things are not so strong. It is, in some places, one of the last outdoor ceremonies until spring. Grieving or letting go ceremonies or ceremonies honoring the ancestors and the departed loved ones are good at this time.
(In the tropics this pattern is somewhat reversed. This time is a celebration of cooler weather. A time for work and productivity. The unrelenting sun begins to wane.)
The Spring ceremony is usually one of emergence. It is a clean sweep ceremony often emphasizing putting the past aside and making a new start. Forgiveness ceremonies are good at this time. Also cleansing and fasting, visioning, and Sweat Lodges for cleansing are all good activities around this time. Affirmation work is also a good thing.