The Cosmic Story: The Wheel of the Year: Mabon -- Autumn Equinox

The Wheel of the Year: Mabon – Autumn Equinox

Onward we go round the Spiral,

Touching darkness, touching Light.

Twice each year we rest in Balance.

Make choices on this Night.

Make choices on the Night.

We've come three quarters of the way around the Wheel of the Year. We rejoiced at the Re-Birth of the Light at Yule on Winter Solstice. We looked for the Light slowly coming back at Imbolc, bringing the hope of warmth and new life with it. On Ostara at the Spring Equinox, we saw how a balance of day and night struck in mid-March echoes this present balance. The growing Light brought life and color and song to the world at Beltane. And at Litha on Summer Solstice, we celebrated the Earth's fertility, warmth, and life. On Lammas we saw the first fruits of harvest come in, celebrated fun and family, along with cooling weather, shorter days and the last push of summer. 

 

Now we are about to find our balance once again. In the northern hemisphere, we'll celebrate the Autumn Equinox, when day and night are of equal length. A moment of balance before we begin to enter the dark time of year. In the southern hemisphere, the Light will grow and you will be welcoming longer days and warmer weather. 

 

This is the time of year when we gather in our harvest and release what is dying back to the Earth. What dies is the outer shell that grew and protected the harvest – just like the habits and beliefs that shelter our psyches until we're ready to mature. That's what we leave behind to compost. When we recognize what we've become and learned this year, we can also let go of what no longer serves our soul's purpose. 

 

The Fall Equinox is paradoxical: it's a time when we want to get on with business and connect with others, and yet it also marks a time of introversion, a time to turn within to communicate with our soul, through dreams, stories, shamanic journeys and art. How do you feel about yourself? Do you know what you've harvested this year? Do you know what you really believe and value? Are you living them? When you do live your truth, you can relate to others in a profound way.

With my Gemini ascendant, I like to be active (mentally & physically), and sometimes I move quickly through my day. This year as Neptune in Pisces made a challenging square to my Ascendant, I learned to slow down and go with the flow of the energy of the day, without shame or blame – often getting lost in reading. I also admit that I chose to create a few rapids during the year for some excitement. And in allowing myself to change my rhythm, some things suddenly jelled without my having to push for them. I learned a new way to Be in the world and now Do things differently.

Through the years I've learned to trust the universe, but now I'm living that trust daily. So can you!

So take time this weekend before the Equinox to recognize where you've been this past year and gather in your harvest. It's been an intense year. Again. This is Mother Earth in transition – the hardest part of labor – as she pushes us out of the birth canal with great pressure to evolve us into our new birth as mature human beings.

Motherpeace Deck

The Autumn Equinox is called Mabon in the Celtic Wheel of the Year. The Celtic myth about Mabon is interesting, because Mabon stays a mystery to us. The Welsh god Mabon, son of Modron, the Great Mother. A divine child, stolen away at birth. Locked away in the underworld. Searched for. And eventually found. He is the Divine Youth of possibilities. He is that spiritually awake part of us that is repressed into the unconscious underworld of our psyches. He is the energy to do what we incarnated on Earth to do. He is Greta Thunberg and all our kids who are doing something to change the world. Just like we did back in the 60s-70s. This is the next phase of that transition into a new age. We have been searching for this childlike vision that sees through the collective trance we've been in – to see that corporate capitalism is the Emperor who has no clothes on. We need to make systemic changes in our society. It's time to grow up and become the Stewards of the Earth we were created to be.

As Caroline Casey says, Co-operators are standing by. Nature is standing by to co-operate with everything and everyone. We just need to call on the cosmic and earthy energies available to us.

Saturn stations direct on Wednesday September 18^th.

 

Just a reminder. Saturn, the Master Tester, is about to move forward again, this time to a full meeting with Pluto on January 12, 2020. Get ready to shed karma and start living your new story. We all need new scripts, new ways to understand our lives at this moment. Just as we need a new government that is not run by the wealthy and connected. But by the people.

Saturn moves very slowing as it changes direction. And so follow his lead. Go slow. It's all about integrating your new, awakened emotional body into your life. As your soul gets used to your skin, cut yourself some slack. You've never done this before. Let your soul be your guide. I can tell you, it takes a lot of experimenting and some failures. But always new learning. So find out what house your Saturn is transiting – might as well look up Pluto as well – and go slowly and listen deeply.

Autumn Equinox, September 23, 2019

 

The Autumn Equinox occurs September 23^rd (the 22^nd further West) at 12:51am PDT/ 3:51am EDT/ 8:51am GMT. The Chart below is cast for Washington D.C.

With the Sun in Libra and the Moon in Cancer, we're looking at a last quarter Moon energy – conserving the seeds of the future and choosing which beliefs and values are important to take into that future. 

 

The Libra Sun forms a wide conjunction to Mars in Virgo and opposes Chiron in Aries. Our integrity ( meaning: wholeness, completeness) comes from Mars in Virgo – paying attention to details to get the complete picture. Our wounded sense of ourselves (Chiron) can lead us to our greatest gifts, so be open to relationships (Libra Sun) that give you a chance to live your gifts rather than your wounding. 

 

Mars in Virgo also squares Jupiter in Sagittarius, opposes Neptune in Pisces and trines Pluto in Capricorn, so this Mars is powered by enthusiasm (perhaps too much!), imagination (rather than illusion) and transformation (reaching deep inside for the true you). Be authentic, have integrity, invoke your creativity and use your power for life. 

 

The Cancer Moon is conjunct the Cancer North Node, highlighting the need to listen to our emotional intelligence rather than the shoulds and oughts of the old, dying patriarchal rules of engagement (Capricorn South Node). It's interesting that the world-wide Climate Strikes that our children are leading happens during this week of Equinox. Our North Node destiny is to secure the safety of our children and families from climate change – we need Mother Earth to be healthy to sustain us. 

 

There are some challenges this Equinox chart says we'll face. These challenges come from two T-Squares. T-Squares are comprised of two planets that oppose each other with a planet that squares (90*) both planets of the opposition. This planet is called the focal planet and is the dynamic point of release and resolution; it’s where the seesaw polarization of the opposition can manifest in a concrete way. It offers a powerful solution to the pent-up tension.

First, there's a mutable T-square involving Mars in Virgo, Jupiter in Sagittarius, Neptune in Pisces. Jupiter is the focal planet, challenging Mars and Neptune to come up with some concrete solutions to our questions about how do we manifest our faith and belief. If we put it in terms of fake news vs. the truth, we need to ask ourselves: What lies do we tell ourselves? How truthful are we with each other? This ongoing Jupiter and Neptune square asks us to distinguish between false illusions and daydreams and true visions that support our beliefs. Can we have faith in our visions without getting trapped in grand illusions? Denial won't help us now. We have to look deeply into the Neptunian mists and find the truth that will sustain us as we move forward to the Pluto/Saturn conjunction in Capricorn next January 12, 2020.

Then there is the more intense Cardinal T-square involving the Moon and North Node in Cancer, Venus/Mercury in Libra, and Saturn, the South Node & Pluto in Capricorn. While mutable planets can change things, cardinal planets want to start things. So between these two configurations, we have the ability to change our beliefs and grow into them more fully by acting on them.

With the North Node conjunct the Cancer Moon, we really need to check in with ourselves about what we really need to feel nurtured and secure in life. Not the fake 'I'll protect America first' security, but an inner security that will help you stand tall when faced with necessity. This Cancer Moon must look across the sky to Saturn and Pluto releasing the South Node's old energy, the energy that sustains the old patriarchal rules of society. How do we really feel about the deep changes going on in our society? 

 

There's a false dichotomy between thinking of Capricorn as the outer world of society and of Cancer as the inner world of family. Capricorn is supposed to create the culture that sustains the family/tribe (Cancer). This is what's breaking down now. Corporate rights are more important than our citizens well-being. (BTY folks: The corporate mind is the anti-Christ. How ironic and interesting that it owns so many fundamentalists.) While the corporate mind cries, We can't afford Social Security, cheaper schooling, updated infrastructure, it is demanding more investment in the military and more free rides for corporations like Amazon, which doesn't pay any taxes. Corporate welfare has ruined our world, both financially and environmentally. Our governments have given corporations, (what in the old days were merely merchant traders) the power to rule over all of them. That ring of power's gotta go, Frodo! 

  

At the Climate Strike yesterday, I saw all these beautiful young people demanding that we face climate change with new ideas, especially the Green New Deal. I wonder if they realize that this transformation of our culture will demand sacrifice on all our parts. Sacrifice – to make sacred. Will we recognize that to heal Mother Earth we'll have to sacrifice our entitled style of life? Will these kids willingly give up some of their technological toys as we shift energy systems, which might entail using much less energy until the new system is in place? Will we give up using our personal cars and use more mass transit? The world won't change if we don't change the way we live. Just saying! 

 

The focal point of this T-square are the planets Venus and Mercury conjunct in Libra. This means that while we're bringing down our capitalist society and what no longer works for us, we're challenged by the Libra Venus/Mercury to do it courteously and diplomatically. By pointing out what people really need at this moment in history rather than what our rulers want for themselves. It truly is a time to re-create democracy in our country and around the world. Just think what will happen if we, the American people, take back our country from the military-industrial complex and turn this country around on all levels. Think of how the rest of the people in the world will react when we share with them the important technology that will help heal Mother Earth as well as give everyone a chance to flourish in life. 

 

We have the knowledge and technology to create Heaven on Earth. But we have let economic interests turn our beautiful Mother into Mordor. It's time to cast that ring of power into the fires of destruction. We have a chance to redeem the mistakes of the Industrial Revolution by creating technology to clean up our mess. So be courageous (Chiron in Aries opposite Libra Sun) and fling that power ring into the transformative fires. Go listen to your heart, rather than to the fear and worry filling your head. Imagine your part in bringing in a true new world order – one that we the people of the world create for ourselves.

The only planet that doesn't make any aspects to other planets is Uranus in Taurus. This wildcard energy is free to work on it's own to awaken us to a new vision of who we are and what our world can become. So hook your wagon to this rebellious energy and Be Yourself!

May the Blessing of Mabon be yours this Equinox season.

Cathy

For Presence

Awaken to the mystery of being here
and enter the quiet immensity of your own presence.

Have joy and peace in the temple of your senses.

Receive encouragement when new frontiers beckon.

Respond to the call of your gift and the courage to
follow its path.

Let the flame of anger free you of all falsity.

May warmth of heart keep your presence aflame.

May anxiety never linger about you.

May your outer dignity mirror an inner dignity of
soul.

Take time to celebrate the quiet miracles that seek
no attention.

Be consoled in the secret symmetry of your soul.

May you experience each day as a sacred gift woven
around the heart of wonder.

~ John O'Donohue ~

(To Bless the Space Between Us)