Gifts of the Equinox

14 Sep

After August’s autumnal-scale winds and lashing rain, the hedgerows are glistening in the September sun. Equinox is an invitation to pause briefly to really observe - and perhaps also to see the world romantically and visually: silver spiders’ webs and jewelled pendants of deep amethyst elderberries, ruby briony, carnelian hawthorn and aventurine-green acorns and the first leaves are turning, as, on the other side of the world, spring arrives. What signs of spring are now well advanced over there, I wonder? Welcome to the Autumnal/Vernal Equinox, depending on which hemisphere you’re in.

Equinox – the magic of change and balance

The cosmic tides shift gears at the time of Equinox, ‘Equal Night’, whose date we share worldwide on 22September this year, reminding us of the equal, complementary and harmonious relationship between earth, sea and sky.

The equinoxes are airy and watery, with the moon’s pull causing great equinoctial tides and, in the Northern Hemisphere, migrant birds sensing the allure of warmer climes. So, in South West Britain, the swallows that have been circling my knees in the park will soon be gone and starlings will be gathering on telegraph wires. There must be something in the air, we think… Ratty of ‘Wind in the Willows’ certainly felt it in the equinoctial chapter ‘Wayfarers all’, and nearly went a-venturing with the other travelling animals. We also tune into the seasons, though we may be slow to recognise it. For more on how our bodies react to the cosmic changes well in advance of our conscious selves registering them, there’s an excellent article here.

And now, our usual musical interlude – for music holds the magic to induce mood and tune us in to each season. What else but ‘Falling Leaves’ - five minutes to be enjoyed with a drink rich on the palette, looking out in imagination at a darkening autumnal forest as the harvest moon rises – as it will on October 1st. Quietly, we let go the summer and embrace the new season. This clip has evocative visuals, so go full screen and chill!

In a hurry and need ideas for your ceremonies? Scroll down to Suggestions for Seasonal Celebrations

Cosmic tides, an archangel and a zodiacal sign

European magicians view the equinoxes as times of great cosmic power and also, in Christo-Magical association, celebrated the Archangel Michael, a great cosmic protective force - as we see in this magnificent martial sculpture from the Ukraine! Challenging? Stay with it - some of his mythic story may be problematic for us moderns, but suspend 21st century judgment and do read on… for it is suggested that Michael, of all the Archangels, had a form that predated Christianity, and was connected to the sun. I view the archangels as powerful energies that mediate certain cosmic and seasonal currents and influences, so, for this posting, Michael will supply us with some new ideas to bring to what we usually do at this time.

Archangel Michael’s feast day, Michaelmas, on 29 September is only a week after the equinox, and the date by which the harvest must be gathered according to the farmers’ almanac; and also the last date for gathering wild blackberries.

Michael’s solar aspect associates him with high places: many churches on hilltops are dedicated to him, so here we have sun and air in harmony to work with in our celebrations. And in England we have a ‘Michael Line’ of dragon energy linking ancient sites across southern England, with a ‘heart centre’ at Glastonbury. Michael is associated with the fiery nature of the dragon, and is famous in Christian story for killing a dragon, of course. For modern Pagans and spiritual free-thinkers, a reinterpretation of this as the life-giving Solar power piercing the Earth dragon seems more in keeping. It becomes an act that brings harmony and connection between the realms, bringing regenerative energy and supporting how we need to safeguard the integrity of these relationships and work to protect the earth that gives us life.

Now let’s add the astrological time of the year into the mix: for we are in Libra, the Scales: that laid-back, balanced, generous sign that loves beauty and harmony, and seems just right for the balmy days of September.

The Scales remind us of that perfect equinoctial balance of light and dark, and of the scales of justice – a concept also under the auspices of Michael, and very important this year and at this time of paradigm-shifting movements for social justice. With so many justice issues being initiated by ‘ordinary’ people and affecting opinion and often political thinking so significantly, it is timely to think of Michael as the archetypal ‘spiritual warrior’, arbiter of justice. From August’s symbol of the Lughnasadh cornucopia, we move to the scales.

Our last associations with Michael are with two foodstuffs. Firstly, the goose, traditionally eaten on his feast day of 29 September. The goose, like Michael, is protective: it was honking geese that saved Rome from attack. They are faithful and can be intimidating when protecting their territory. British arrows were fletched with goose feathers and Mother Goose, surely an ancient and feisty goddess-figure, enters our lives as infants, holding our nursery rhymes in the covers of her book.

I have a fanciful notion, which I’d really like to be true… I wonder if, in times long gone, goose being eaten at Michaelmas meant a prohibition on eating it at other times? If true, this elevates the goose to the pantheon of totem animals of the British Isles. They certainly generated their own myths – that they grew from barnacles, or from trees. Magical birds!

And now for the surreal-but-true bit – in the Gaelic-speaking regions of Scotland, Michaelmas Sunday is called Domhnach Curran: ‘carrot Sunday’. Alexander Carmichael, the compiler of the charms of those regions in The Carmina Gaedelica, writes of the carrot ritual between 1855 and 1910…

‘The carrots are dug by the women with triangular implements… The three-sided ‘torcan’ is meant to typify the three-sided shield, and the three-fingered ‘sliopag,’ the trident of St Michael, and possibly each to symbolise the Trinity. Each woman sings a unique charm.’

Here’s part of one that he recorded…

‘Cleft fruitful, fruitful, fruitful,
Joy of carrots surpassing upon me,
Michael the brave endowing me,
Bride the fair be aiding me…’ (extract)

And a forked carrot is lucky…

‘Fork joyful, joyful, joyful,
Fork of great carrot to me,
Endowment of carrot surpassing upon me,
Joy of great carrot to me.’

The carrots are bunched with red thread and stored until they are needed.

Carrots with their natural sweetness have always been used in desserts, so maybe a (mock) Goose and carrot cake feast next week, anyone? But choose cultivated carrots unless you’re an expert forager, as some similar umbellifers are poisonous!

Why the carrot? Maybe because it is often orange, and so has solar associations? Or because the straight root pierces the ground as Michael’s spear does? Over to you – please share your ideas.

For the full transcript of the carrot ritual, and the notation for a Michaelmas Scottish dance, click here.

Suggestions for Seasonal Celebrations

Hark back to school harvest festivals by consciously being thankful for the earth’s bounty. As the sun soaks into the ground let’s flame, on our tables and our clothes, in autumnal colours.

Get airy!

· Go to a tall hill, with a Michael church on top if possible. Relax after the climb and feel the sun and wind on your closed eyelids. Thank the constant, protective power of the sun and his archangel, Michael. Feel the quality of the season. Feel the balance between earth and sky, dark and light, your body and spirit.

· Maintain this feeling as you fly a dragon kite high on the summit

· Look out for gathering birds, migrating birds, bird arrivals depending on your location

· Prepare for the season to come in your own way– what will you do this particular year?

· Practice the Druid art of divining by bird flight and cloud formations. Play with ideas, form and shapes and see what naturally arises

· Press leaves for greetings cards.

· Dip pressed leaves in melted candle wax and hang them from windows as natural stained glass or stick them to cloth to make ‘green man’ masks

Get Libran!

· Make an aspect of your life more beautiful or aesthetically pleasing. Clean and clear your space

· Try some balancing exercises; BE the scales, with spontaneous dancing, yoga or pilates

· Allow idealistic self to come to the fore; practice seeing the best in others

· Pledge to the concept of justice worldwide. How will you honour that pledge?

· Perform an act of gratuitous generosity each day for a week

Get Goosey!

· Plan a feast of goose. If you eat meat but can’t afford the real thing, ‘mock goose’ using sausage meat is first written down in 1747; or you can find a vegetarian option widely used through the war of baked lentil, onion and sage. Look for both here

· Find a large feather – goose for choice, for clarity and flexibility – and cut it to experiment with calligraphy. Use it to send someone a ‘happy equinox’ card

· Get to a nature reserve to see geese in the wild

· Google a wedge of geese in flight – see that arrowhead flying into the future, fearlessly, as a role model

· Emulate all ‘birds of a feather’ – ‘flock together’ with your loved ones as the season turns

Get festive!

· Make ceremony around your goose and carrot festive meal – first honouring every ingredient with thanks, charms, careful preparation and maybe an offering of wild food to the birds afterwards so they can feast before their long migration

And, relax…. When evening comes, settle into the new season of cosy fireside evenings

For a listening treat of just over half an hour, listen to the whole chapter from the Wind in the Willows, mentioned earlier, at this link.

OR curl up with a magical book – here’s a a ritual connecting Gwion the Druid Detective to the Archangel Michael from my esoteric thriller, ‘The Case of the Cornish Patsy’. Gwion has been battling the giant Tregeagle and poison is spreading up the energetic Michael Line that runs from East to West of the country. Gwion now needs a powerful ally so, by magic, has travelled back in time. There he fuses with an earlier inhabitant, only to be overwhelmed by the vision of Michael, whose help carries its own dangers… Spoiler alert: our hero does win the day - and you’ll see that there are geese there too, who prove pretty seminal by the end. If you’ve time, get a cuppa and read it aloud, just for the fun of the season.

And if you prefer to read a preview from the beginning of the story, find it here.

The season turns, and it’s wonderful to know that you also are noting and celebrating worldwide, as we are in our small corner of Avalon. As usual, before any ceremonial activity, even one as simple as making a cake, set your own intent or use this one: ‘May I attune to the wonders of the season.' The more we put in, the more we get out.

Equinoctial blessings to all – of sunset and moonrise over the sea, as we sail into the peaceful dark or vibrant light of the year.

From the dynamic balance of the Grove, Penny /|\

Penny Billington