Equinox greetings! The seasonal wheel has turned again, officially in the early hours of 2:20 a.m. here in my time zone.
Equinox is a time of balance. And Autumn sets loose the forces of transformation.
I love this image created by Basho:
chrysanthemum’s scent
in the garden a worn-out sandal
just the sole.
I like to mark the yearly rhythm by doing seasonal mailings, and to celebrate this autumn I sent out cards with ginkgo leaves. I love ginkgos.
Ginkgos are living fossils – there are fossil specimens that date from 270 million years ago. They were long revered in China as sacred trees, symbolizing sacred life force and longevity, as well as representing the concept of duality as in yin/yang.
Gingkos were also revered by the Japanese and were often planted at temples. And now they’ve become known as symbols of both hope and peace. In an extraordinary display of tenacity, four gingko trees were the only things that survived in the epicenter of the atomic blast that devastated Hiroshima.
Hope is such a beautiful blessing, and I’m liking caring that energy into autumn.
It always amuses and confuses me that the spelling isn’t standardized – is it ginkgo or gingko? The correct scientific name is Ginkgo, but it’s amusing to know that it’s likely the result of a spelling error that occurred three hundred years ago.
I created this piece with ginkgo leaves some time ago, but it caught my attention again. And it seems like another thoughtful energy to carry into this autumn as well.
I’m wishing us all a wonder-filled and free autumn. (Or Spring for our southern hemisphere friends!)
What about you? Are you celebrating the equinox? Have you thought about how you’d like to step into this new season? Do tell – you know I love to hear.
Happy fall to you! I honestly hadn’t really given the season much thought. I feel as though I’m not quite ready for fall and that summer just slipped passed me without my noticing. This weekend, I’ll clear out my garden, add some happy colorful Mums and maybe a pumpkin or two to greet the fall. I’ve also just recently completed a huge project and am so ready to begin again with a new project with fresh energy.
I think that’s a perfect way to usher in a new season Michelle – finishing up an old project and making room for something new! Mums and pumpkins are very evocative – I want some for my garden as well. Wishing you a fabulous autumn.
I’ve completely missed the equinox this time. I only remembered about it now that I’ve read your post. But I’m celebrating the beginning of spring! It’s been a long winter.
Wishing you a wonderful Spring. An always welcome time after a long winter!
Somehow these words feel full of love: “Equinox is a time of balance. And Autumn sets loose the forces of transformation.” I always feel like fall brings a fresh start, and I am off and running this autumn with new projects and plenty of transformation! Tonight I’ll be facilitating a vision board workshop, and I hope it’s a powerful experience for workshop participants; I think it’s a great time to visualize what’s ahead!
I hope you, and your participants, had a wonderful time at your workshop. I certainly agree this is a fabulous time for visioning. Wishing you a wonderful transformative anf fabulously fun fall Heather!
LOVE the saying on your art piece! Especially the part “with each word I free’. Yummy word play. I love Fall. Just feels so alive and as its leaving me, my gratitude builds..
It can be such a delicious place to be in that place of awareness and appreciation of what is, knowing it won’t always be. Autumn is a wonderful teacher for that, and the art of gently letting go.
Beautiful ginkgo leaves, thank you!
You’re very welcome. Hope you have a fabulous autumn.