(inspired by Mabon, the Autumn Equinox of 2016)
We just passed through the Autumn Equinox (Mabon) - a time of Solar/Lunar balance when the Light and Dark stand together. As the balance shifts from light to dark, the transition can feel intense. My hope in sharing this musing today is that it will help you navigate these changes with greater ease, self-awareness and compassion.
Perhaps you feel singed and raw from the heat of summer. Perhaps you feel resourced and connected to your power. Perhaps you feel like a victim, at the mercy of Fate. Perhaps you feel like a tyrant, desperately trying to control every detail of your life - including those who are closest to you. Likely, it’s some combination of all the above. Now, as we transition into Autumn, there is an inward turning mirroring the leaves turning and falling from the trees.
As these changes move through you and Gaia, realize that though Fate may have a plan for you, you have a CHOICE.
Choose to cultivate sensitivity and gratitude during this time of rebalancing energies, reviewing contracts, and renewing intentions. Allow yourself a deep sigh of relief, and receive a soothing balm for the pain and suffering in this world and within. As the natural world is a mirror for ourselves, we are also mirrors for each other. As within, so without.
Nature teaches us this balance of the inner and outer: A bud emerges as the outer casing draws away. A blooming of hidden colors and scents opening petal by petal, giving way to vegetable or fruit - a ripening of self-revelation, ready for harvest. Self-revelation is not just an Aha! moment for your mind’s temporary satisfaction, but an act of revealing yourself to the world as a gift. You are the gift.
So, take a moment to quiet your mind, look into the mirror of nature, and listen for what is present. Thoreau once chided himself for physically being in the woods, but mentally wandering about some other business in some other terrain. Listen to the sounds of the present moment. Bring your mind here, fully embodied. Open to really truly hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, smelling, sensing, feeling, knowing, being.
As I write this, I look out the window and see Coyote appear out of the woods. Earlier, Raven landed several feet away during a Mabon gathering. Both animals symbolize deep magic, mystery and a little trickery. We see each other, tricksters as well as harbingers of magic. We are reminded that life may not be what it seems at first blush. Anything can happen, everything is possible.
COYOTE’S Message for Mabon: Open to the hidden wisdom. Be skillful and playful as you live into the unknown. We are going into deep waters, and our work is serious, but we cannot take ourselves too seriously. Reawaken to what you know to be true. Trust your intuition. Trust your ability to heal and shift your Fate. The nature of Nature is Change.
You see, we need the paradox of Change and Balance to survive and definitely to thrive - the outer and the inner, the Solar and the Lunar, the masculine and the feminine, the light and the dark, the above and the below.
Thank the Sun; thank the Moon and stars; thank the plants and creatures and humans you share this earth with. We are in this together, my friends. Together, we’ll find peace.
* Guided meditation into the Autumn Woods, recorded in the San Jacinto Mountains.