Many
of us experience a sense of awe at the natural world, and want to
mark our connectedness with nature, and express our thanks for its
sustaining goodness. Particular points in the turning year may also
be understood as corresponding with different stages of our lives -
which may help us to make some sense of our life experiences, and to go onwards more cheerfully and trustingly. This
ceremony provides an opportunity to celebrate the Autumn Equinox, traditionally celebrated around the third week of September. The exact date can vary slightly from year to year.
The Autumn Equinox is a
festival of the sun, marking a time of equality of day and night
before darkness begins to increase. It is a time to hail both the
plough and the scythe, and the blessings not only of planting,
growth, and harvesting, but also of decay, which is a necessary part
of the cycle of life. As the second
of the harvest festivals, celebrating especially the harvest of
fruits, it reminds us too that all the resources that everyone and
everything needs have already been provided – and many of them
sadly squandered or hoarded. We need to right this wrong before it is
too late.
The short responsive liturgy, below, is appropriate for use by any group of people, especially before sharing a meal together, but can be adapted for private solo use. You will need enough small candles/night lights, pine cones, and apples, for each person
present, matches to light the candles, and knives to cut the apples.
Please exercise common sense when lighting candles, and ensure there
is no risk of fire. Everyone is invited to join in saying the
responsive words in bold type. There may
be one leader to say the biddings, or you can take it in turns, round
the circle.
The
liturgies, celebrations, ceremonies, prayers, and reflections offered
on this blog are the result of my thoughts, reflections, and
experiences, woven together using my own words and sometimes adapting
words others have used: I am indebted to their wisdom. Please use
these liturgies freely, altering them as suits your own context. I am
always pleased to hear from people who have used them. I am posting this today in order to allow you time to make preparations, if you choose to celebrate the Equinox this weekend.
Welcome,
Thanksgiving, and Petition:
Welcome
to you all, as we gather today to celebrate the Autumn Equinox,
and
to open our hearts once again to the mystery & wonder of love &
life.
The
arrival of Autumn is a blessing to us all!
As
we gather at this time of balance of night and day, of dark and
light.
we
offer thanks for the fruits of creation, for all that sustains us
throughout
the year, and for the beauties of our world:
We
offer thanks!
May
we remember that nothing is ours by right,
for
all creatures and people are equal, and, as stewards of this good
earth,
it
is our responsibility to share its bounty:
May
we remember to share!
We
have sown and reaped the fruits of our actions.
Grant
us the courage to plant new seeds of joy and love in the coming year,
and
to banish misery and worry, fear and hate.
May
we learn the secrets of trust, and of wise and gracious living;
and
may we always count our blessings.
Our
blessings are many!
Reflection
and the Lighting of Candles:
During
a few moments of quiet, reflect on what in particular
has
been a blessing to you, especially over the past year.
You
may share out loud one of the many blessings in your life,
using
the phrase: I give thanks for the blessing of ...............
to
which everyone will respond: May
it always be a blessing to you.
We
each then light a candle as a sign of thanksgiving.
The
Balancing:
Without
autumn & winter, there can be no spring or summer:
Without
night, there can be no day,
without
darkness, there can be no light,
without
death, there can be no life.
Autumn
is a time of change, but the Equinox is above all a time of balance,
and
a good time to take stock of our own resources:
to
look honestly at where we are weaker, where we are stronger,
and
where we are somewhere in-between:
We
seek to find such a balance in our lives
as is found in the natural Universe,
and to become part of the harmony
that
lies at the heart of creation.
We
need to recognise, and not to hide from, whatever we need to change;
and
we need the courage to leave behind us
whatever
we no longer need to carry:
We
need to find the energy and the resources -
inside
and outside of our selves - to begin again.
Choose
and hold one of the pine cones, which represent what has sustained us
up
to now. Think about – and say if you wish - what mostly that has
been.
Then
exchange the pine cone for an apple, which represents what will
sustain you in the future. Think about – and say if you wish - what
that might be.
The
Sharing:
We
do not live in isolation:
We
are inter-dependent: we need one another.
We
also need the creatures, the environments, and the activities,
that
lift our spirits and sustain life.
And
we need to share all of these in order to be fully human.
As
a sign of the need to give and to receive, we now share our apples.
Everyone
cuts their apple into four pieces. One piece is kept for themselves,
two
pieces are shared with the people on either side, and the fourth
taken home for pets or birds or to plant in the hope of an apple
tree.
If
you are having a shared meal, now is a good time for it,
and
then use The Closing, below, at the end of the meal.
The
Closing:
Summer
has become Autumn, and Autumn will become Winter.
The
seasons change and the year turns.
We
who are together here will go our separate ways:
When
we meet again we will have changed, grown, learnt,
and
become closer to being our true selves.
May
we find what we need for rest and for growth:
And
whatever changes come, may we remember and rejoice
that
we are united in love, light, and life, now and for ever. Amen!
The
candles are now extinguished
Food
for the Feast:
The
Autumn Equinox has traditionally been celebrated as the harvest of
fruits – tomatoes, berries, apples, pears, plums, squash – so
it's a good time to try out some recipes that are new to you, using
seasonal fruits and veg., or to revive old favourites such as pears
poached in cider, or baked apples stuffed with nuts and dried fruit.
Pomegranates are associated with this festival as well, reminding us
of the story of Persephone, who was obliged to spend six months of
the year in the Underworld, as she had eaten six pomegranate seeds
there (some versions of the story say three months/three seeds) –
an attempt to explain why we have winter when almost nothing grows.
This
year we shall be enjoying ratatouille galettes with eggs from our own
hens, cheeses, and plum tarte tatin, washed down with lovely Breton
cider.
There
are lots of recipes available online, but if you'd like to try any of
ours, please use the comment box, and I'll post them up as soon as
possible.
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