The Nudge - Dispatch 15 | Autumn Equinox 2023
“The golden-rod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.”
Helen Hunt Jackson
Welcome to The Nudge | Autumn Equinox 2023
This seasonal care package has been prepared by The Trailblazery team.
Dear Friends,
We are delighted to prepare our latest care package for you, The Nudge, as we approach the Autumn Equinox or Cónacht an Fhómhair in our native Irish. This Equinox marks a pivotal point in the agricultural calendar, signifying the transition from the fruitful days of summer to the approaching stillness of winter. This turning point falls midway between the festivals of Lughnasa and Samhain, landing this year on Saturday, September 23rd.
Over 5,000 years ago, before the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the ancient Irish had built structures, such as Loughcrew, which have been found to align with the rising sun of the spring and autumn equinoxes. Another name for Loughcrew is Sliabh na Caillaigh, or 'Mountain of the Hag.' Local folklore tells of a hag, or witch, leaping from hilltop to hilltop carrying stones in her apron. As she did so, some of the stones fell from her apron and landed on the hills below, thus forming the cairns of Loughcrew.
Photographer: Tony Pleavin
@Tourism Ireland
The term "Equinox" signifies equilibrium, marking a moment when the opposing forces of day and night, light and dark, dance in harmony. The Autumn Equinox signals the culmination point of the harvest and the conclusion of all the agricultural endeavours that began at Imbolc. It symbolises a moment of gratitude for the bountiful yield of the land, as well as a time to prepare for the colder, darker months ahead. At this time, communities would gather together to celebrate with rituals, feasts, and gatherings, paying tribute to the shift from productivity to stillness, and the natural cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
Autumn Equinox offers us a magnetic moment of opportunity to prepare ourselves for the transition from the lighter half of the year (samos) to the darker half of the year (giamos). From this moment, the outwardly expansive masculine energies will visibly wane, making way for the prevailing inward, descending energies of the dark feminine. In the outer world, as the leaves begin to fall, the inner world invites us to reap the fruits that we have planted this year. Remember to pause, observe, digest and embody this threshold moment which heralds the final descent towards the year's end at Samhain.
Photographer: Martin Emiji
Journal Prompts to inspire you, at Autumn equinox:
🍂 What creative endeavours have you embarked on this year? Take a moment to acknowledge your efforts and the "harvest" you've reaped thus far.
🍂 How are opposites forces showing up in your life at the moment?
🍂 What aspects of your life are currently in a state of transition or transformation?
🍂 What thresholds are you being invited to cross over?
🍂 How can you navigate these changes with a sense of grace and gratitude?
🍂 How can you bring more harmony between work and rest, light and dark, or other aspects of your daily routine?
🍂 Are there any projects, relationships, or habits that you feel called to bring closure to? How might this act of closure serve you in moving forward?
🍂 As this Equinox approaches what steps can you take to prepare yourself to become a better ancestor?
🍂 How can you prepare yourself for the invitation to stillness and incubation that the upcoming winter season asks of you?
What’s coming up over the next
6 weeks at The Trailblazery:
As the Great Wheel turns yet again, we are invited to pause and remember what we have traveled through together. We are excited to let you know what we have coming up for you over the next 6 weeks here at The Trailblazery:
Join us for Scoil Scairte: Autumn Semester
We are delighted to launch the upcoming Autumn semester of
Scoil Scairte. This series will run from October 5 - November 30, 2023 and we are thrilled to announce a brilliant line-up for this upcoming fifth edition, which shines a spotlight on the inspirational people, places, songs and stories of Dublin (Baile Átha Cliath).
Scoil Scairte is the Irish School you always dreamed of, guided by a host of inspiring bilingual multidisciplinary artists, activists, creatives, educators, culture-makers and indigenous language-keepers. This 9-week voyage of discovery invites people to gather together online to explore, experience and learn about Irish culture, heritage and language in a global learning community. Live sessions will take place (Oct 5 - Nov 30) from 7pm-8.30pm Ireland time, with an optional bonus hour of comhrá agus craic in our private community space Meitheal every Tuesday.
For more info and to book your place, visit hereon our website.
Moon Medicine presents:
"Weaving the Mythic Feminine"
featuring Jen Murphy,
Mon Sep 25, 7pm Irish time
We are delighted to host the inspirational award-winning founder of the Celtic School of Embodiment. An anthropologist and mythologist by background, Jen is a cultural dreamer whose work is dedicated to evolving the Irish mythic feminine through scholarship, the body, and the arts, in service to these times.
For more info and to book your ticket for this live zoom event, visit our website here. Remember, if you can’t attend live, you will be sent the recording 24 hours after the event.
We offer a limited number of free spots each month for those who need it. If you haven’t already, you can sign up to our Moon Medicine mailing list here to be informed of all upcoming events.
Recommended Resources
Here are a few reading, watching and listening pieces to nourish your senses in the days ahead:
❀ Smell: For your nose
The apple tree is associated with late September to early October in the Ogham tree calendar. This ancient system weaves a tapestry of nature's rhythms, assigning distinct trees to each season, imbuing them with rich symbolism and spiritual essence. The apple tree holds significant meaning, representing wisdom, healing, and rebirth.
In the Irish Druid tradition, the Silver Branch is cut from a magical apple tree, where silver apple-shaped bells play a mystical tune, which could lull people into a trance state and transport them to the Otherworld. Crab apples, also known as wild apples in Ireland, were listed among the seven 'Nobles of the Wood,' deemed an important food source since ancient times. They were traditionally used to make wine, cider, and juice, as well as to flavour mead. You can find recipes for different apple tinctures here.
We also recommend this book as a powerful resource:
The Apple Branch: A Path to Celtic Ritual [by Alexei Kondratiev]
✮ Watch: For your eyes
We wanted to share Louise Ní Chuilinn’s beautiful illustration work with you, which you can take a peek at on her website, Selkies Studio.
✦ Connect: For your soul
We would like to acknowledge our friends Sonya and Nina Montenegro of The Far Woods, whose beautiful ‘Against Forgetting’ print shares a similar motif to our logo at The Hedge School. You can purchase this print and support their great work.
❤ Read: For your heart
Enjoy this Equinox poem by Kathy, celebrating this moment of transition and the harmonious dance of opposites. As the Great Wheel turns and Autumn Equinox approaches, we honour the cycles of birth, death and rebirth. May this poem nourish your soul and help usher in the abundant blessings of the Equinox.
EnJOY these days - may the fading light be yours.
Thank you for walking this path with us,
Beannachtaí,
Kathy and all at The Trailblazery
