We are approaching that time of year once again, when light and dark will be perfectly balanced for a short time on Thursday, September 22. Then the days will tilt darker here in North America and grow brighter for our neighbors in the southern hemisphere.
The fundamental principle of the earth-centered shamanist religion is that of balance. Balance, as the seasonal rhythm of light teaches us, is a dynamic and ever-changing state, not a static achievement.
Dynamism is what trips me up in my efforts to achieve balance. I am tempted to think that living in a state of balance is about getting a recipe of activities down and sticking with it: meditation, offerings, working out, journey circle, and so on.
The celestial dance of the earth, sun, and moon suggests otherwise.
To sync up with the dynamic dance of light and season, we are asked to find small ways to change the routine, even for only a few minutes a day. Small changes breathe life into the overall dance of days but also add up to create a very different life, and if practiced on a collective scale, a new world.
As the sun’s light shifts for just minutes a day every day (except the two days that are equinoxes) we, too, are asked to follow the example of balance as lived by our elders: earth, sun, and moon.
What new thing are you willing to do, or let go of doing, in observation of the equinox this week?
This week, I will be attending an orientation at the time normally reserved for our journey circle.
We will not have a journey circle this week but will resume our regular Wednesday journey circles next week on Wednesday, September 28 from 4-6 pm PDT/7-9 pm EDT.
And in observance of the equinox itself (if moving back into our house is on track) I will be going on a hike through an old-growth forest that is slated for sale and subsequent clear-cutting in my area. If you live in the Eugene area and are interested, here is more information:
A blessed Equinox to you all,
Anna