Preparing for the Fall Equinox

09-22-2009 at 16:18 CDT

That's the exact date and time of this year's fall Equinox. So what's the big deal, why is it so important?

Several things both astrological and astronomical happen. First, the length of daylight and length of night time are exactly equal, 12 hours of each. Since the beginning of spring (the Spring Equinox) we've been enjoying days that are longer than nights. The length of hours of sunlight grows a bit each day until we reach the longest day of the year at the Summer Solstice in June. From then until the Fall Equinox, the days slowly, little by little, shorten. After September 22 this year, the days will continued to be shorter than the nights with our longest night occuring on the Winter Solstice in December.

The Fall Equinox is also known as the second harvest festival, harvest home or Mabon. There are three harvest fests, the first being the beginning of August which is also known as Lammas or the Green Corn Harvest Festival. Here in Iowa, I would prefer to call it the Sweet Corn Harvest Festival and this year's corn was especially sweet (I've already frozen many quart bags to enjoy this winter! For all your folks in other parts of the country, you have my sympathy in eating the regular old canned or frozen corn you buy at the store...there is NO comparison!)

The fall festival, because of days and nights being equal, is also a time to prepare to get things back into balance again, readying for the long winter.

How do I do that specifically? First, I make sure that the pantry and freezers are stocked for winter with all my favorite goodies from the wonders of summer here in Iowa...sweet corn, raspberries, good Iowa beef, and catfish I caught myself are among all the things that I make sure I have stored away.
This is a photo of me a after one particularly decent fall catch I got in about a 3 hour period of time from Beaver Lake just north of Dexter, Iowa.

Secondly, I check to make sure my family has the clothing it needs to prepare for the oncoming cooling in Fall and deep cold of Winter. The heavier wool winter blankets get put back on the beds. Hats and scarves, winter coats and boots all come back out of storage. Mismatched gloves and mittens are accounted for and warm wool socks need to have their mates. Above are some of the baby socks I've been knitting this week for my granddaughter Inara. She's going to be a year old in December.

Emotionally and spiritually, it's the time where I look back on the past nine and a half months to see if there's anything I wanted to accomplish this year that didn't get done. Now's the time to make sure that I wrap up this year in a good way. I go through my mental list of hopes and dreams for this year and see what still hasn't been finished, and look to see what's truly important to still fit in before winter hits.

I also sit back and evaluate my pace of life right about now. Am I rushing things, or lagging way behind. Am I in physical balance health wise and what needs to change or shift? Do I need to simplify more things to be able put my emphasis on myself, friends and family in a gentler way? Am I working too hard, or not as efficiently as I should? What am I doing to keep my own personal balance going each day or each week. How will that shift as fall begins the slow but steady trod toward the cold chill of winter.

So, now is the time of evaluation and seeking balance for me, planning and appreciating everything that I've been given, shown or taught this past year and determining how I want to draw 2009 to a wonderful and balanced close.

Scorpio and Taurus this week!

Another full moon is coming up this week, and this one often puts people on a particularly powerful emotional edge. For those of you who don't speak astrologese, let me see if I can put it into lay terms.

We are in Scorpio time (about October 22 to November 21st) which can be one of the most emotionally intense signs of the entire zodiac. During the four weeks that the Sun is in Scorpio, passions can and often do peak. Some of the more difficult sides or aspects of these potent feelings might include: jealousy, digging up hidden information, secret investigation, burning sexuality, zealousness, suspiciousness. I've seen all of these areas get turned up or turned on during this time of the year.

The full moon this month is in the sign of Taurus. It is officially full at 12:17 am central standard time on November 13th. Taurus often is thought of as the sign of the stubborn or bull headed individual. Taurus is also about home, family, stability and sensuality. When taken to an extreme, the desire for the delight of the senses can also cross over into addictions.

Full moons act as a catalyst...it's like suddenly adding gasoline to an already burning fire. The day before a full moon, the day of, and the day after, expect things to emotionally intensify in the areas that connect with the combination of the Sun and the Moon's energies.

So, to break it all down, what can you expect? What does this all mean? It's a good news, bad news sort of story.

The bad news first...this Sun in Scorpio, Moon in Taurus combination can have a painful side. Beginning the 12th, peaking the 13th, winding up on the 14th, look for a greater amount of conflict concerning sexuality and suspicion regarding relationships that relate to the home. I would also expect more difficulties with addictive behaviors, jealousy within the family, accusations and snooping for information. Desire for sex and for increased sensual delight will also play an part in all of this.

Can this result in couples dealing with suspicions and jealousy? Yes. I would also expect siblings to show more intense emotions of jealousy toward one another this week. It may also affect employer/employee relationships (worry about job, suspicion, feelings of being watched more closely) because ultimately the paycheck affects home and family.

Would I expect more drunk driving arrests this month? You betcha because of the tendency of Taurus toward addictions. Addictions don't have to be just alcohol (or drugs.) Would I expect more chocolate to be consumed in secrecy this week...yes! Expect any and all leftover Halloween candy or chocolate in the house to be totally gone by Friday.

Could this be a time when any type of ongoing investigation turns up something important...absolutely. It might be because folks dig a little deeper and seek and little harder. It could also be because of someones sudden (and more careless) desire to hide things at the last minute without planning or forethought that result in discovery.

While the above sounds pretty negative, there is an upside to Sun in Scorpio, Moon in Taurus!

The GOOD news...the full moon this month can be a time for the most exquisite combination of sensual and sexual energy, especially when it's combined specifically to create some incredibly memorable intimacy . If you are looking for a day (or days) to put a little more "ooooo!" into your "ooo-la-la!" sort of boudoir fun, focus your plans for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week (and have a good time!)

Mercury retrograde approaches

From September 24th to October 15th, Mercury will be retrograde again, this time in the sign of Libra.

So in plain English, what exactly does that mean? Simply, that most all forms of communication can and will get a little messed up. E-mails lost in the ethers, phone calls missed, talk misunderstood, and on and on.

How can you make surviving a retrograde easier? Simple! Follow up all important communication in another fashion. If you call someone, send an e-mail to confirm what was said. If you are working with a written communication, summarize and repeat the understood details with a quick phone call. It's all in double checking.

Increase your patience during this time. Folks, including yourself, aren't trying to muck up the communication works, it's just that these things happen. Take a breath, work the problem with calm and patience.

Remember to use I statements like "If I understand you correctly and can summarize what you said, this is what I heard."

If you haven't heard from someone you are expecting to, give them the benefit of the doubt and pick up the phone or write to them. They may indeed have tried to get a hold of you and the connection just wouldn't go through.

Remember, PATIENCE! Breathe...in AND out. Repeat.

Relax and don't fight the bass ackwards communication that can happen during a Mercury retrograde...just laugh, shrug and go with the flow.

This too shall pass.