I have realized that since having a child, the passing of time has significantly more meaning in my life. As in, “Please stop. Please, time, I beg of you, stop moving so dang fast. Let me have more time with this little nugget.” Time doesn’t seem to care…and on occasion, I feel that she speeds up just to spite me.
So, despite my pleading, we are at the transition from summer to fall and that means the Fall, or Autumnal, Equinox is upon us this Saturday (9/22). Thus, (I feel like I use “so” too often)…let’s get a little WooWoo and celebrate!!
Vocabulary lesson: “Equinox” means “equal night” in Latin. Thus, (haha) if you didn’t put it together, the fall equinox is when the length of your day and your night are said to be the same. Why is this meaningful? Well, this is a beautiful time to recognize the balance, or lack off balance, in your life.
- Are your work and personal lives balanced?
- Do you have a balanced diet? Too many greens getting you down?
- Is your time balanced? Do you give way too much to one area of your life while ignoring the other areas? Do you often find yourself at the spa when you were supposed to pick up the kids from camp? Let me count the times…
- Is your spending in balance? Do you spend all the extra spending money on the kids? Nothing on you or your “non-child” relationship. Truthfully you do need that spa day.
- What’s up with your thinking? Do you have balanced thoughts? Do you compliment yourself as much as you catch yourself berating yourself? Berate may be a little heavy here but do you tell yourself crap that isn’t true? Do you say, “Well, I’m being stupid?” It’s not true. Do you say, “I can’t believe I forgot that?” Not true…I can totally believe why you forgot that ________, you’re busy and probably a little overly tired, and you had 14 other things simultaneously in motion when you “forgot.” (Note: here I’d like you to have completely unbalanced thoughts…the more positives you give yourself the better. As a matter of fact, take a break from this post and write down 5 things you are happy about right now…GO!)
You’re back…great.
Now, I also believe this time of year is perfect for letting go of the unwanted. The trees lose their leaves; it is time for us to let some of our foliage drift off into the wind. The air gets colder. Perhaps now is the time to turn a cold shoulder on some of your bad habits or bad relationships. Just saying…
So, if you were going to celebrate the Fall Equinox on Saturday at precisely 6:54 pm PT (or any time you’d like), then you may be wondering “where do I even start?”
Funny you should ask…I’d do something like this:
- Get a group of people together. (I often do women’s rituals but it is not mandatory)
- Ask each person to bring something to mark their space. A favorite photo, a meaningful stone, a cherished crystal, any loved token.
- Opening and Honor: Open with a positive statement or prayer. Perhaps say something about balance and why it’s important to you. Ask the entities that you believe in to join you in positive celebration. Something like this…
- “This marks the beginning of our Fall 2018 Equinox Ritual. We are blessed to have both the brightness of day and the shadow of night, the rising and the setting of the sun, the rise and fall of the tides, our joys and our sorrows, the cycles within both life and death. In this moment, we honor our ability to experience the contrast of the dark and the light, for in this contrast, we clearly identify that which we want to manifest in our life. We ask that mother earth and father sky, the angels of earth and the angels of heaven, our spirit guides, and dancing fairies, all universal beings of light and love, join us to celebrate this change of season and bring positive energy to our space and our wishes.”
- Giving of Thanks: Go around the room and have each person give thanks. I always prepare my guests for this and ask them to bring a list if they want.
- Letting Go: as I stated before, this is a powerful time to let go…release…give in to get more. If you can have a bonfire, please do…and have each person burn what is holding them back…that which needs to be released. (again, I ask my guests to prepare these statements ahead of time and write them on a piece of burnable paper). If you can’t have a fire, perhaps light a candle and meditate on those items which you want to release. Or, rip the papers into small bits and poor hot wax on them…again, be safe, follow any housing codes, and don’t call me if you light something on fire. (We’re all adults here. I recommend doing this in a safe environment…and always outside if possible.) Get creative…you can take a red marker and scribble over your statements. Or, write them on red paper…anything that feels good. The whole point here is to let go of that which is holding you back from your glowing potential.
- Wishes: any transition of seasons is a glorious time to put wishes into the world for manifestation. Go around the room and have each person state their wishes…I like to have each person say all of their wishes before moving on to the next person…keeps the energy focused on them. At any point if someone doesn’t want to share, that is completely fine. Honor their place and hold their space. Give them a moment to read their wishes silently and then gently move to the next person.
- Tie a Bow on It: End with a quiet meditation, a prayer, or read a paragraph that brings closure and peace. This prayer is the Mabon Balance Prayer…adapt as you see fit:
Equal hours of light and darkness, we celebrate the balance of Mabon, and ask the gods to bless us. For all that is bad, there is good. For that which is despair, there is hope. For the moments of pain, there are moments of love. For all that falls, there is the chance to rise again. May we find balance in our lives as we find it in our hearts.
- Closing: “This now concludes our Fall 2018 Equinox Ritual. Let us Feast and Celebrate together.”
- Feast & Celebration: after every seasonal ritual should be a time of celebration. Have each person bring a yummy dish to share. Open the wine or spirits, honor the abundance of food, friends, joy, and laughter. Breathe in the beauty of this world.
So there’s a little WooWoo for your weekend.
Enjoy!!
