A Moment of Balance…
“On the equinox the earth pauses in her long turning. For one breath of the year, light and dark stand in equal measure. Day and night reach for one another across the sky, a fleeting still point, a trembling cusp of change.” ― Brigit Anna McNeill
P.S. McNeill is speaking specifically of the autumn equinox as the “one breath,” as obviously there are two equinox moments each year, one in the spring and one in the fall.
Feeling the tension and upheaval in the world, I find myself leaning in to the earth’s rhythms more attentively than I normally would. Every reminder of my connection to the earth serves to ground me in the present moment.
The equinoxes in the spring and fall have the added bonus of reminding me of the fleeting gift of balance.
Tonight’s official arrival of the Autumn equinox will occur at 7:05pm Central. Wherever you are, can you take a moment when the autumn equinox (or spring in the southern hemisphere) occurs to welcome in this moment of balance between light and dark on the planet? Then imagine feeling that same sense of balance in your body and life, preparing you for whatever this autumn will bring.
Because that’s what equinox is — only a moment in time. Within minutes we begin the journey towards shorter days and longer nights in the northern hemisphere.
“The equinox teaches us that balance is not perfection, but participation, a willingness to stand where opposites meet and feel the tension as part of life’s rhythm.
To live well is to stand in the brilliance of what is, to gather the sweetness of the season, to let its radiance move through you, and at the same time to bow toward what is coming.”
―Brigit Anna McNeill
May you lean into the wisdom of the equinox, with a pause for balance, then a gentle surrender into what autumn has in store for you.
“Autumn is a time of balance and reflection, a pause between the light and the dark.” ―Unknown
For Equilibrium
Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore,
May the music of laughter break through your soul.
As the wind wants to make everything dance,
May your gravity be lightened by grace.
Like the dignity of moonlight restoring the earth,
May your thoughts incline with reverence and respect.
As water takes whatever shape it is in,
So free may you be about who you become.
As silence smiles on the other side of what’s said,
May a sense of irony give you perspective.
As time remains free of all that it frames,
May your mind stay clear of all its names.
May your prayer of listening deepen enough
To hear in the distance the laughter of God.
― John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us
