Autumn Equinox

Today is the first day of Fall, or the Autumn Equinox, like it's sister the Vernal Equinox (Spring), it is  when the sun crosses the celestrial equator and day and night are equal lenghts.  The Autumn Equinox is known by many names, i.e.,  Elfed, the Cornucopia, Feast of Avilon, Festival of Dionysus, Night of the Hunter, Wine Harvest, and Witch's Thanksgiving. In druidism, it was  called Alban  Elfed ( Light of the Water), Mabon, it was the Second Harvest and the  beginning of the dark half of  the lunar year. A time of the Wine Moon and the Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess. Upon this equinox, the last corn sheaf or stock harvested was woven into the figure of a man/women, then dressed in fine clothes and burned in the fields to release the corn spirit.


Wicker Man
Wikimedia Commons

                                                                                                                                                             
To commemorate this day I have written this poem.

Mother Earth yawns in ready for  winter's sleep,
Her children borrow and  forage--
the last of harvest's reap

 Day no longer than night,
 Night no longer than day,
Thus the cycle of Light ends
And  Darkness rules the way

All motion slows,
Trees shed their leaves,
Plants wither
Bees die--
In the cooling breeze

Soon Mother Earth will curl
Under winter's blanket of white,
Waiting for renewal,
The beginning of the Light

Welcome to the first day of Autumn.