Thoughts for the Autumn Equinox

Here we are, days away from the autumn equinox, and ready for all the harvest festivals that happen this time of year!

 Because of the earth's orbit around the sun, the equinox is the time when the day and night are roughly equal. Here in Northern Utah we had 15 hours of daylight back in June at the summer solstice, and we'll be down to only about nine hours of daylight in December at the winter solstice. Right now we still get to enjoy about twelve hours of daylight.

In early August, I was harvesting a couple items from the garden - peas, chard, berries, and early zucchini, but now I check the garden daily to keep up with the abundance. If you don't have a garden of your own, just think about all the produce available at the farmer's markets this time of year. The autumn equinox is time to harvest and celebrate the bounty of the year, but also time to look ahead and plan for winter.

The autumn equinox is the perfect time to recognize what you have, share it with others, and practice gratitude. This could be sharing your talents with others, sharing the bounty of your garden with others, or sharing your love with others.

It's also a good time to plan ahead to where you might be at the winter solstice or the spring equinox, and do something to take care of the future You. You might need to think about your finances and put together a budget for the rest of the year. You might need to think about your mental health, and put together your self care plans for the winter months. You might need to think about staying cozy this fall, and finally finish that knitted scarf you started last year.

Whatever you are doing to celebrate the season, I wish you a bountiful harvest!

-Sara