Today day and night is basically the same length.
It is a time of celebration in various ways by
many cultures. It is the second harvest, the season of autumn (in the other
parts of the world it is the Spring equinox).
Many
different peoples have used the seasons as a calendar and a clock both. So likewise this is seen in their artwork,
and symbols.
Mauchu
Picchu Peru has the Intihuatana stone,
which gauges the equinox’s
and other cosmic events such as the new or full moon. This is but one of many such sacred places,
like Stonehenge and various Native American sites.
Why the leaves fall: A Lakota Legend
Many moons ago when the world was
still very young, the plant and animal life was enjoying the beautiful summer
weather. But as the days went by, autumn set in, and the weather became colder
with each passing day.
The grass and flower folk were in a
sad condition, for they had no protection from the sharp cold. Just when it
seemed that there was no hope for living, he who looks after the things of His
creation came to their aid. He said that the leaves of the trees should fall to
the ground, spreading a soft, warm blanket over the tender roots of the grass
and flowers. To repay the trees for the loss of their leaves, he allowed them
one last bright array of beauty.
That is why, each year, during
Indian summer the trees take on their pretty farewell colors of red, gold, and
brown. After this final display they turn to their appointed task-covering the
Earth with a thick rug of warmth against the chill of winter.
Mabon
is a celebration which many honor on this day as the second harvest; a time of
giving thanks. The word Mabon comes from
the name of Mabon son of Modron; who was said to be a follower of King
Arthur. In the Druidic traditions the
day is called Alban Elfed which means the light of the water.
Thus referring to the equal day and night.
One of the days on the wheel of the of year of pagan days of honoring.
One
of the symbols of Mabon is the horned God (who is not symbolic of evil or the
devil) but is reflective of the divine masculine, strength, virility, loyalty,
primalness, and life force, the counterpart to divine feminine; the Goddess.
There
are also some very interesting stories in lore about the autumn. One comes from
Greek mythology. Demeter has a daughter Persephone who caught the eye of the
God of the underworld, Hades. She would
spend 6 months of the year with her mother and this is when it was the warmer
seasons of Spring and Summer but as it was time for Persephone to return to her
husband Demeter would become sad and it was the time of autumn and winter.
No
matter how you chose to welcome in the season be it with bounty of the harvest,
or the celebrations and traditions of the old ones. Happiest Autumn!!!
© Lisa Ann Ulibarri
