Sunset in Autumn

Balance.

This is the word we reflect on at the Autumn Equinox. As we see and feel the shifting of the light and the crisping of the air, the Sun, just entering the astrological sign of Libra, continues its descent across the Southern sky, gradually weakening in light and height. This day is the day of equal day and night hours, when light and dark are not battling for the sky, but equal in strength. The equinoxes, both Spring and Autumn, are the only times when the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are equally illuminated. In the Northern Hemisphere we are now in-between the extremes of the heat of Summer with its long, languid days just past, and in anticipation of the short, dark, cold days of Winter. We are betwixt and between… a time of equilibrium, a time of balance. A time of transition. It is as though we are between a deep inhale and a powerful exhale, where the moment hangs shimmering and poignant, before it passes away.

The Red Vinyard at Arles, Vincent Van Gogh, 1888

Before we started buying our food at grocery stores and super centers, the Autumn Equinox was a celebration of the harvest – the time when, both exhausted and jubilant, we’d successfully brought in the fruits of our labors, preparing and storing them for the winter. It was a time to mark the importance of working together for a common cause, a time to revel in our community as the stronghold of our survival together. This is an idea that is central to the energy of Libra and to this time of year: equality, balance, community, peace, beauty – the peace and beauty of the dying sun, of the vibrancy of the trees in their final blaze of glory, of our relationships and what we create when we are equal together, honoring all sides, balancing all views, and coming to diplomatic solutions that strengthen and protect us all.

Equinox is from the Latin aequinoctium, meaning “equal night.” Today the night is equal to the day, yet as we move through time away from the Equinox and toward the Winter Solstice, the days become shorter and and we have less light to live by. What was known to our ancestors, before technology gave us permanent days with electric light, is the part darkness plays in the work of spiritual transformation. The darkness, to which we are absolutely heading as each day passes, is a place that restores us, a space where we germinate, and regenerate. But before we reach the full darkness of the Winter Solstice,

The glyph for Libra represents both the scales and the Autumn sun setting over the horizon, a symbol for equilibrium and peace.

we have the opportunity to learn from the harmony and symmetry of the Equinox. We tap into the beauty of internal balance, that sense of equilibrium we need in order to start preparing for the darkness. In this space of anticipation, when the light is gorgeous, the air is temperate and cooling to the skin, and the riotous, rich colors of ‘Nature in her Fall’ imbue our spirits with gratitude, with generosity – and because we are feeling externally delighted – we find it easy to extend ourselves in love, open to both giving and receiving. The crispness of the season is reviving to the spirit, and for as long as we dare, before the dark and cold drive us inside, we strive toward company among others, pleasures, beauty, harmony, and love. This is the message of Libra.

The particular message of this Autumn Equinox, found in the astrological chart drawn for the moment the Sun moves into Libra at 4:03 PM Eastern on September 22, 2017, has much to do with balancing our wounds with our identities, and where we want to shine. Often the places where we feel wounded, excluded, abandoned, or victimized so interfere with our potentials that we can’t seem to get past ourselves to achieve our goals or take the next step toward healing. Sometimes we even project our talents, our greatness, onto others, not quite believing that we can ever fulfill the dreams we long for, leaving it to others to lead creative, fulfilled lives. This Autumn Equinox season brings the opportunity to pull in those projections so that you can own your own dreams and potentials. This energy also includes showing you the the ways in which to attain the tools you need to bring your gifts into reality – if you are willing to see and take the challenge and do the necessary work. So again, we are back to balance. Being out of balance is living only in a dream; or conversely being so focused on duty, responsibility and work that you don’t allow yourself to have a dream. Use this Autumn Equinox energy to open you to the balance of both creating a vision from your dream, using the tools before you, and doing the work to manifest the reality that you yearn for. (Sun in Libra opposite Chiron in Pisces, both squaring Saturn.)

Chart for the moment the Sun enters Libra, heralding the Autumn Equinox. Drawn for Sept. 22, 2017, 4:02 PM Eastern, from Atlanta, GA