September 22: Autumn equinox

On the Equinoxes, I like to go out walking just before sundown and stand with my back to the sun, so that I can see my shadow stretching far away to the east. It's the closest to due east the shadows will get, with the sun as close to the middle of the sky as it comes at this latitude.

I love the Equinoxes. In the pendulum of the seasons, they're where the weight pauses before swinging back the other direction. It's the moment between inhale and exhale. The day and night aren't precisely equal, of course, as explained in this article. The earth's atmosphere bends the sun's light, and we see the sun for longer than it's really there. I had a good illustration of that this evening. I was a little late getting outside, and when I got out onto the road and walked westward, I could clearly see the orange ball of the sun above the horizon... but there were no shadows. In reality, it was already gone.



I happened to see a black cat on my way back, so I greeted him, and then on my balcony I had a tiny ceremony with dried fruit, a candle, a sprig of sage and a sip of wine. Happy Mabon!