The Significance of the Fall Equinox

    Our next full moon, referred to as the Harvest Moon, occurs on Tuesday, September 21, followed by the Fall Equinox on Wednesday, September 22. As the chapter closes on another summer, now is a good time to consider the gifts you will gather this harvest season. Astrologically, spring and autumn are the two times our Earth's hemispheres receive equal amounts of the sun's rays, and night and day are approximately equal in length. If you consider an entire calendar year, that's a pretty awesome experience. Ever wonder how that can consistently occur?  With all the events we have witnessed with fires, floods and other exceptional climate changes, it's interesting to consider some things stay the same.  
    Our early ancestors relied on such events to monitor and manage their lives. In Machu Picchu, Peru, there is an ancient stone monument called Intihuatana - which means "Hitching post of the Sun." it served as a solar clock to mark the dates of the equinoxes and solstices. In Mexico, the Mayans built a giant pyramid called Chichen Itza. On the equinoxes, it looks as if a snake made of light slithers down the pyramid's steps. In England, Stonehenge was also built with the equinoxes and solstices in mind. These are but a few of the ancient ways early civilization managed their lives. 
    Perhaps we can take a lesson from our ancestors and use this Fall Equinox to step back and examine how our lives have changed since spring. Let's make this personal! When you moved out of the winter season and observed the growth emerging from the Earth, what intentions, ideas, seeds and other new endeavors did you plant? Six months later, it's time to carefully examine what has come to fruition since your planting season. Perhaps this harvest will be one that brings an abundance of growth in many areas of your life. Maybe relationships have flourished, your career has advanced, or maybe you finally toned up your body to support good health. Whatever you planted in the spring, now is a good time to slow down and enjoy the bountiful rich color and fullness of the trees and pause to reflect on your growth. 
    Autumn is the season to sit around a fire and enjoy the fellowship that comes with sharing time with  those that enrich your life, or perhaps, a simple evening in front of the fire alone fills your heart. Such gifts of fall help us to prepare for the winter ahead so that during the long nights of darkness we can dream. What new adventure lies ahead for you? Are there any old ideas that you put on the shelf years ago that it may be time consider over the upcoming winter? In six short months, that idea can be brought into the light of spring and become precisely what you are ready to harvest next fall!  What's the significance of the Fall Equinox? It's a steady, consistent event that will happen every year. It's up to you what dream will come to fruition next fall. Any ideas?