Autumn Equinox

[Zoness]

Hi all, do any of you celebrate the autumn equinox in any special way? Can be religious or secular. For me, I think I am going to try my hand at a Mabon ritual this year but really its sort of the opener for the real beginning of my favorite time of year, spooky season! Equinox to Halloween is basically a month long Halloween for me, culminating in a Samhain ritual gathering. This year I am trying to go all out and get a bunch of people back together to celebrate and be a part of the ritual.

Does anyone do anything super fun for this time of year? How about from now until Halloween?

 

[dlamberth]

Hi all, do any of you celebrate the autumn equinox in any special way? Can be religious or secular. For me, I think I am going to try my hand at a Mabon ritual this year but really its sort of the opener for the real beginning of my favorite time of year, spooky season! Equinox to Halloween is basically a month long Halloween for me, culminating in a Samhain ritual gathering. This year I am trying to go all out and get a bunch of people back together to celebrate and be a part of the ritual.

Does anyone do anything super fun for this time of year? How about from now until Halloween?

My wife and I just do a small celebration at our garden alter to recognize Equinox.

 

[awitch]

I used to skip over Mabon and let Samhain dominate the season.

But I've been taking birding seriously for the last year and since September is the height of the fall migration, I was thinking maybe there's a way to incorporate that. I suspect the mountain top "castle" ruins I frequent would be a great place to have a little ritual. It should be deserted this time of year.

Perhaps a bon-voyage prayer to the pantheon to help out the feathered friends on their trip.

 

[Chesterton]

I don't celebrate the equinox. I celebrate the solstinox, which is the exact midway point between a solstice and an equinox, which is something I just made up, yet which is 100% as significant as an equinox. (Unless you're a farmer maybe.)

 

[Zoness]

My wife and I just do a small celebration at our garden alter to recognize Equinox.

Neat! If you wouldn't mind, would you share a bit about your altar? I'm just curious. I think I am going to reconstruct an altar soon as autumn is probably my most spiritual season and it would be an nice break from all of the atheistic literature and philosophical naturalism I've been reading about. Time to get back into some joyous mythmaking.

I used to skip over Mabon and let Samhain dominate the season.

But I've been taking birding seriously for the last year and since September is the height of the fall migration, I was thinking maybe there's a way to incorporate that. I suspect the mountain top "castle" ruins I frequent would be a great place to have a little ritual. It should be deserted this time of year.

Perhaps a bon-voyage prayer to the pantheon to help out the feathered friends on their trip.

That's a pretty interesting idea! I've never done any birding but it sounds relaxing, and a fun way to get outside. I think I am going to try and arrange something with a local secular humanist charity to do some food bank work. It's a little out of my comfort zone but it seems to fit with the spirit of the season.

I don't celebrate the equinox. I celebrate the solstinox, which is the exact midway point between a solstice and an equinox, which is something I just made up, yet which is 100% as significant as an equinox. (Unless you're a farmer maybe.)

Even though I'm as far as removed from a farmer as its possible to me, I do live in a college town surrounded by corn fields and Agriculture companies reign supreme in the region so "farmer culture" is somewhat prevalent. Though you do raise a point; in a world dominated by advanced technology, observation of the seasons is more or less irrelevant to the average person, but they make for good calendar holidays! Logical demarcations in our calendars.

Also you may be joking, but there are Esbats are which are close-ish to the center points between Sabbats of solstice/equinoxes so maybe you DID just celebrate Lammas/Lughnasadh in August! How exciting!

Of course as the continued effects of climate change play out, autumn here is starting to very much feel like summer... meh!

 

[awitch]

Neat! If you wouldn't mind, would you share a bit about your altar?

Probably typical fare; small table for indoors or large rock for outdoors. Altar cloth, candles, statues, chalice, incense, and pentacle.

That's a pretty interesting idea! I've never done any birding but it sounds relaxing, and a fun way to get outside.

I guess it depends on the type of bird. Waterfowl and shorebirds are easy to find and don't move around a lot, so I'd say it's pretty relaxing to watch them. The songbirds, not so much. They're small and fast and camouflaged so it so it requires your senses on high alert. .

I wanted to try photography, but the camera, lenses, and gear are cost prohibitive at a few thousand dollars.

 

[dlamberth]

Neat! If you wouldn't mind, would you share a bit about your altar? I'm just curious. I think I am going to reconstruct an altar soon as autumn is probably my most spiritual season and it would be an nice break from all of the atheistic literature and philosophical naturalism I've been reading about. Time to get back into some joyous mythmaking.

It's pretty simple really. I have things to represent the earth, water, fire, air and either on the alter. There's images of several people whom I view as sacred on the alter. There are some tobacco ties, Sweetgrass that I grow, Cedar from a tree in my yard and a bit of sage. During the year various things like found feathers, an interesting rock, flowers, shells, and various things from Gaia appear on our alter. Just a few weeks ago I traded some Sweetgrass plants for a White Sage plant with the hope that in the future I'm able to provide my own Sage. Along the same lines I'd love to grow tobacco for sacramental purposes, maybe sometime in the future? In a very simple ceremony we basically give honor to the 7 directions, west, north, east, south, the sky, the earth and spirit and give thanks for the summer we are leaving and the fall to which we are entering.

 

[dlamberth]

But I've been taking birding seriously for the last year and since September is the height of the fall migration, I was thinking maybe there's a way to incorporate that.

I'm in the middle of a wonderful read, "What the Robin Knows", by Jon Young. The subtitle is "How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World. I highly recommend it for anyone interesting in Birding, Bird language and nature.

 

[Chesterton]

...but they make for good calendar holidays! Logical demarcations in our calendars.

But my point was that logical demarcations make for lousy holy days, because they're not holy, they're arbitrary. Caring about where the sun is relative to earth is as superstitious as caring about a black cat crossing your path or walking under a ladder.

 

[PloverWing]

One of the places where I most experience the Sacred is in nature. The creation is the song of God, the dance of God. And I experience the Sacred in nature best when I am actually paying attention to nature. The solstices, equinoxes, and cross-quarter days mark the waxing and waning of light and warmth, and as such they do play an important role in my spirituality. I don't have any specific rituals, but I do take them into account in my private meditations.

I pay more attention to Lammas and Samhain/All Saints' Day than I do to the autumn equinox. Still, September's turning of the leaves and chill in the air embody a combination of death and beauty that provide for many hours of reflection and meditation.

 

[dlamberth]

But my point was that logical demarcations make for lousy holy days, because they're not holy, they're arbitrary. Caring about where the sun is relative to earth is as superstitious as caring about a black cat crossing your path or walking under a ladder.

I don't recognize times like the Equinox as "Holy". In my celebration it's more of a sacred awareness and celebration of sorts. The Celebration for me has to do with remembering the Sacredness of our Earth and of Nature. If we look at human history, for most of it we Human Beings did that sort of thing. I believe that it's in our DNA to celebrate the Earth. I also believe that in our getting away from those celebrations we have lost an important connection to Nature as being Sacred. The results of that loss, as I look around, is the rape and desecration of Mother Earth.

 

[awitch]

But my point was that logical demarcations make for lousy holy days, because they're not holy, they're arbitrary.
Caring about where the sun is relative to earth is as superstitious as caring about a black cat crossing your path or walking under a ladder.

Each holiday has it's own religious significance associated with the cycles of time. They tend not to celebrate individuals who may or may not have existed thousands of years ago or related historic events.

 

[Zoness]

But my point was that logical demarcations make for lousy holy days, because they're not holy, they're arbitrary. Caring about where the sun is relative to earth is as superstitious as caring about a black cat crossing your path or walking under a ladder.

The sun's position to the Earth does have an impact on it as seen in the seasons, though. I would agree if there was utterly no impact. In my case, I don't know if I'd use the word holy the way it would be used in Christianity or Islam. It's more like a recognition of a regular natural cycle rather than observation of a holy event. Like @PloverWing for me the season changes are good times for reflection and meditation too.

It's more like the average person doesn't care about the seasons as much since their lives don't really depend on it anymore, which is fine. That's the progress of humanity.

Plus I imagine most religions have some arbitrary holidays as they don't all know the calendar dates of specific events in their faiths. I don't really see it as a shortcoming.

 

[Chesterton]

I don't recognize times like the Equinox as "Holy". In my celebration it's more of a sacred awareness and celebration of sorts. The Celebration for me has to do with remembering the Sacredness of our Earth and of Nature. If we look at human history, for most of it we Human Beings did that sort of thing. I believe that it's in our DNA to celebrate the Earth. I also believe that in our getting away from those celebrations we have lost an important connection to Nature as being Sacred. The results of that loss, as I look around, is the rape and desecration of Mother Earth.

What's Sacred about our Earth and Nature?

 

[Chesterton]

Each holiday has it's own religious significance associated with the cycles of time. They tend not to celebrate individuals who may or may not have existed thousands of years ago or related historic events.

What is the religious significance associated with the cycles of time?

 

[Chesterton]

The sun's position to the Earth does have an impact on it as seen in the seasons, though.

True, but basically, so what?

I would agree if there was utterly no impact.

Everything has an impact on everything. It's called "physics". If it's naturally occurring, there's nothing to celebrate.

In my case, I don't know if I'd use the word holy the way it would be used in Christianity or Islam. It's more like a recognition of a regular natural cycle rather than observation of a holy event. Like @PloverWing for me the season changes are good times for reflection and meditation too.

Since I'm very pedantic, you're the one who referred to such as "holidays" (holy days). Either they are or they aren't.

It's more like the average person doesn't care about the seasons as much since their lives don't really depend on it anymore, which is fine. That's the progress of humanity.

In terms of agriculture, I think our lives do depend on it as much as they ever did. The question is, are seasons natural or supernatural? If natural, there's nothing to celebrate. It would be celebrating mindless physics.

Plus I imagine most religions have some arbitrary holidays as they don't all know the calendar dates of specific events in their faiths. I don't really see it as a shortcoming.

True, but the dates are less important than the significance of the idea being celebrated. I see no significant idea related to an equinox.

But let me add that it was the glory of paganism to see the holy in the natural. It's the shame of naturalism that it seeks to deny it.

 

[awitch]

What is the religious significance associated with the cycles of time?

That depends on the holiday and the tradition of the practitioner.

 

[dlamberth]

What's Sacred about our Earth and Nature?

The fact that you even have to ask that question saddens me.

 

[Zoness]

Since I'm very pedantic, you're the one who referred to such as "holidays" (holy days). Either they are or they aren't.

Then what are secular holidays if they aren't holy? If you have a better word then by all means, but on average I think people would know what's being referred to. Some pagans do think of them as literally holy days, I remain undecided on that.

In terms of agriculture, I think our lives do depend on it as much as they ever did. The question is, are seasons natural or supernatural? If natural, there's nothing to celebrate. It would be celebrating mindless physics.

Well we definitely depend on agriculture, no argument there, but the majority of people do jobs that do not explicitly depend on the seasons.

True, but the dates are less important than the significance of the idea being celebrated. I see no significant idea related to an equinox.

I agree that dates are less important than concepts but I'm surprised you'd say you can't find a significant idea related to the equinox.

How about the constant of change? In the northern hemisphere, fall is a time of cooling, increased darkness and the beginning of plants dying off. Some see parallels with aging and reflection. Others take it as a general time of thanksgiving for what they have. Some take it as a time of balance (especially if you live in a latitude where dark and light start to become equal at this time of year) in life; between work and play or maybe other specific things they are dealing with. I'm just spitballing a few ideas.Every faith and person is different.

But let me add that it was the glory of paganism to see the holy in the natural. It's the shame of naturalism that it seeks to deny it.

Of course there's the timeless tug of war between naturalism and supernaturalism but I think naturalists can still see beauty and awe in nature without ascribing supernatural holiness to it. I think Carl Sagan is good example of a man who could put that awe into words. There are Atheistic Pagans who blur the lines quite a bit on this subject and it can get quite messy, though. (Additional reading)

 

[dlamberth]

... but the majority of people do jobs that do not explicitly depend on the seasons.

And when taking in the course of human history, that's a fairly recent development.