Rebalancing for the Equinox: The Celtic festival of Mabon offers an opportunity to take stock of where we are, plus an exercise for finding new balance by both appreciating and letting go.
I really need to balance my life. It has never been totally balanced for any length of time, yet I have always taken some comfort in the natural world.
Once in hiking down Sycamore Canyon (the one in the Pajarito Mountains of southern Arizona) for a brief period I felt as if I had melted into the landscape. I was totally alone; just me and the creek as it flowed intermittently toward Mexico.
At times like those every care seems to melt away, leaving one with a feeling of peace that too soon ends when the everyday world is reentered. For just a short time balance is achieved.
I don't think balance is ever a permanent thing, Dave. But we can notice when we feel in tune, as you so clearly did in that hike in Sycamore Canyon in the Pajaritos, and make conscious efforts to find that kind of balance in other moments. I think that one of the gifts of getting older is being able to reflect on our lives, remember the moments when we felt the most human and in harmony like the one you described, and learn from them. We can't all live in wild places--there would be no wild places left! But we can strive to find that kind of balance and connection in our every day lives.
Your photos are beautiful! Those brilliant golden aspens...
I love the idea of No Net Accumulation and the lists exercise. For certain, I am going to put it into practice.
The Celtic days of importance/festivals/marking of the year have always interested me and I would much rather the year turn on them as opposed to modern labels, like "the first day of fall" rather than the festival of Mabon.
Thank you, Jenny. Like you, I find that the Celtic festival days resonate more with the inner rhythms of my year than the commercialized holidays that dominate popular Western culture. I think that's our terraphilia emerging, our bodies and hearts and spirits tending to synchronize with Earth's calendar of the seasons of life rather than the human-invented calendar. I think we can follow our own inner calendars despite popular culture--it just takes being mindful and aware. And not minding doing some swimming upstream!
Moving into some of my favorite seasons, Susan. Thank you for your lovely essay.
The Equinoxes are days that I practice the ritual of home care and protection. It's a way for me to restore balance in my spiritual and corporeal life. I love these rituals...bringing the extraordinary into focus in our ordinary hours, providing balance and stability as we move through the seasons.
Sending you much light as you follow your path. Kathleen
Your rebalancing ritual is a wonderful practice for this time of year. Thank you. For me the fall equinox marks the beginning of the descent into winter -- it's the Persephone myth that we live out each year. I tend to get quieter and more pulled into myself this time of year. I'm going to do the exercise of holding, releasing and rebalancing that you suggest here.(Susan, I think you rock!) Big hugs.
Love this one.
Thank you, Susan. It's that time of year when balance comes to mind because of the equal length of the days and nights. :)
I really need to balance my life. It has never been totally balanced for any length of time, yet I have always taken some comfort in the natural world.
Once in hiking down Sycamore Canyon (the one in the Pajarito Mountains of southern Arizona) for a brief period I felt as if I had melted into the landscape. I was totally alone; just me and the creek as it flowed intermittently toward Mexico.
At times like those every care seems to melt away, leaving one with a feeling of peace that too soon ends when the everyday world is reentered. For just a short time balance is achieved.
I don't think balance is ever a permanent thing, Dave. But we can notice when we feel in tune, as you so clearly did in that hike in Sycamore Canyon in the Pajaritos, and make conscious efforts to find that kind of balance in other moments. I think that one of the gifts of getting older is being able to reflect on our lives, remember the moments when we felt the most human and in harmony like the one you described, and learn from them. We can't all live in wild places--there would be no wild places left! But we can strive to find that kind of balance and connection in our every day lives.
Your photos are beautiful! Those brilliant golden aspens...
I love the idea of No Net Accumulation and the lists exercise. For certain, I am going to put it into practice.
The Celtic days of importance/festivals/marking of the year have always interested me and I would much rather the year turn on them as opposed to modern labels, like "the first day of fall" rather than the festival of Mabon.
Thank you for another lovely Terraphilia🧡🍂
Thank you, Jenny. Like you, I find that the Celtic festival days resonate more with the inner rhythms of my year than the commercialized holidays that dominate popular Western culture. I think that's our terraphilia emerging, our bodies and hearts and spirits tending to synchronize with Earth's calendar of the seasons of life rather than the human-invented calendar. I think we can follow our own inner calendars despite popular culture--it just takes being mindful and aware. And not minding doing some swimming upstream!
Moving into some of my favorite seasons, Susan. Thank you for your lovely essay.
The Equinoxes are days that I practice the ritual of home care and protection. It's a way for me to restore balance in my spiritual and corporeal life. I love these rituals...bringing the extraordinary into focus in our ordinary hours, providing balance and stability as we move through the seasons.
Sending you much light as you follow your path. Kathleen
Your rebalancing ritual is a wonderful practice for this time of year. Thank you. For me the fall equinox marks the beginning of the descent into winter -- it's the Persephone myth that we live out each year. I tend to get quieter and more pulled into myself this time of year. I'm going to do the exercise of holding, releasing and rebalancing that you suggest here.(Susan, I think you rock!) Big hugs.
Reading this and seeing your photos has me missing my life in Colorado. My balance has been off lately, but I am forever hopeful it will be restored.