Dear Friend and Reader,
Right now I have on two layers of clothing and my sheepskin slippers. The pickles have been made, the tomato sauce is sitting in the closet upstairs. My partner and I are preparing to move to one of the upper rooms very soon, because of the cold that is creeping in and taking over the lower floor of our house.
There is a candle burning with an unusual intensity next to me as I write this, while an apple that dropped from my tree outside perfumes my work space with its familiar, intoxicating scent. It is the autumn equinox. For pagans and witches, it is the Sabbath day called Mabon (pronounced MAY-bun). For Librans, it is birthday time. For the rest of us, it’s the equinox. [This old article by Eric tells about the different points in the wheel of the year.]
When the Sun crosses Libra’s threshold, time takes on a whole new meaning. For the next six months up here in the Northern Hemisphere, the darkness will get stronger, the cold bolder. The end of Daylight Savings Time always jolts into how short the days are. The world outside will fall into silence as the animals that buzz, whistle and hum head to warmer climates.
The plants, in a grande finale that’s been building since the spring, will dry out and die, sending out their seeds to be carried by animal couriers or the wind. Trees will go to sleep. Many animals go into hibernation. Of course, the opposite process is happening down in the Southern Hemisphere (and we welcome your reflections on the seasonal change).
Autumn is an exceptional time of year, because it is the borderline between life and death. New plants will push from the soil next year in time for the returning animals. The cycle will begin again.
There are many goddesses who personify autumn. All of them are sagely matriarchs in the golden years of their life. Check out images of Demeter, Ceres, Astarte or Hel and you’ll see what I mean.
Autumn is the time in life where we gain some perspective and return home. It is time to reap the benefits of the work we’ve poured ourselves into during the longer days. It is the time to hunker down in our houses to fix the tools of our trade, and reflect upon how we can do it better next year.
It is also an awkward time. The temperature is always changing, you can’t find the right combination of clothes to keep you comfortable and the rain that comes is always bitterly freezing. Mornings bring fog, which always has an aura of otherworldliness to it. And the trees begin to turn those flaming colors. Pumpkins are ready and apples too. The sweet scent of decay is pervasive in the air, and though the days are shrinking, the sun shines through balding branches and makes the days appear brighter.