Thru the Seasons

2023 Fall Equinox

Celebrate the Cycle of Life,

The Fall Equinox is the second of the three major harvest festivals. The Celtic name for it is Mabon: the season of storing food and preserving nature’s bounty for the coming winter months. This year it will be on September 22nd just as the sun enters Libra, the sign of the balancing scales. The term Equinox refers to this balance of day and night. Fall is the time of plants shedding their seeds, going underground until new plants rise up in the Spring.

The most important aspect of this time of year in Ancient Greece, was the honoring of Demeter, the holy goddess of the grain. For several millennia her story inspired the famous Eleusinian Mysteries.

We haven’t seen a Full Moon like this one in over 27 years, and we won’t see another one until the 22nd century!

                                             PLOD THROUGH IT!  STAY THE COURSE!!

                                 By Sami MERLYN, DD

HEY NOW, as Al Manning would say, illigitimi non carborundum, which was his pet phony Latin Phrase for “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” As I write this, VENUS is Retrograde… and the good news is we are plodding through it and since it went Retro July 22nd, we are making our way through these challenging times! Venus Retro only happens every year and a half, and since the goddess of LOVE affects all life, for her to go on vacation for six weeks is challenging.  The tendency is for folks to be dissatisfied, emotional and want a change.  The admonition is to “stay the course” and not make major changes. 

Connect with plants during Spring Equinox,

This year in the Northern Hemisphere, March 20th is the Spring Equinox when day and night will be equal in length at the equator.  Also known as Ostara or Eostre (the origin of the name Easter) light and dark will be perfectly balanced. It is also the New Year for Persians as well as the Earth Honoring spiritual traditions that follow the ancient ways.

In these ancient traditions the Vernal Equinox is considered the time of Green Fire. It refers not only to sap rising, but also to the electrical energy pulsing through the growing plants. This is not a metaphor. My electrician husband told me that the green fire is literally electrical, just like our nervous systems.

What Is the Lunar New Year?

Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year) happens this year on Sunday, January 22, 2023. Why does the Lunar New Year start at a different time each year? How is this important holiday celebrated? What does the Year of the Rabbit symbolize? Learn all about this holiday!

When Is Lunar New Year?

Lunar New Year begins on the date (in East Asia) of the second new Moon after the winter solstice, which always takes place in late December. This means that the first day of the Lunar New Year can occur anytime between January 21 and February 20.

In 2023, this new Moon occurs in China on Sunday, January 22, marking the start of a new lunar year.