Balance and Harmony

Light and dark are equal

Like the Spring Equinox, the Autumn Equinox is a short period where the length of daylight and night time hours are equal. (Equi meaning equal and nox meaning dark). It is another opportunity within the year to take stock and reflect on balance in our lives. 

The energy of this Equinox is different, though. Back in Spring, we were reflecting on balance as we looked forward to a busy, fruitful and promising summer. Now, with that behind us, we can assess balance in our lives again, but with a different intention as we head further into the darker half of the year and prepare to bring our energy inwards. 

We can also find comfort in remembering how light and dark are equally important, especially as we move towards Samhain and then on to the depths of Winter. Without darkness, we would not appreciate the light. Without Winter, the beautiful blooms and activity we see in Summer would not exist. 

Ancient rituals

This time of year marks the half-way point of the harvest, which began at Lughnasa (early August) and will continue until Samhain (late October/early November). 

We know that ancient peoples revered the equinoxes because they built monuments honouring these celestial events. The most famous is "Cairn T" at Loughcrew. "Cairn T" is the largest cairn in the Loughcrew complex and is thought to be about 5,000 years old. At both the spring and Autumn equinoxes, the rising sun shines through a portal and illuminates artwork on the back wall of the cairn. 

Loughcrew is closely associated with An Cailleach, the crone entity of the maiden goddess, Brigid. The story goes that An Cailleach formed the Loughcrew complex herself. She was determined to prove her strength, so she filled her apron with large stones and jumped from hilltop to hilltop. As she jumped, the stones dropped from her apron, creating the cairns we see today. There will be more about An Cailleach in our Samhain blog.

Banbha: the equinox goddess

Banbha is one-third of the triple goddess of sovereignty, along with her sisters Ériú (where Ireland gets it's name) and Fódhla. Banbha symbolises the nurturing and protective nature of the earth and she blesses the earth as we continue to harvest what we will take with us into the winter months. 

Tree Wisdom

At this time of year, we can look to the Vine to help us express ourselves. As we approach Equinox and assess balance in our lives, the Vine can inspire us to stay true to ourselves and express what we feel, even in the face of adversity.