The Nudge - Dispatch 23 | Autumn Equinox

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me,
fluttering from the autumn tree".

Emily Brontë

 Welcome to The Nudge | Autumn Equinox 2024

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 language. Bain sult as - enjoy.

 This Equinox marks a pivotal point in the agricultural and astrological 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 Sunday, September 22.  

Over 5,000 years ago, before the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the ancient Irish had built structures that align with the rising sun of the spring and autumn equinoxes. As we prepare for our next Scoil Scairte adventure in Donegal, we were delighted to discover Grianan of Aileach or Grianán Ailligh as Gaeilge.

This “Stone Fort of the Sun” in Donegal, also known as the Sun Palace, was built with careful alignment to the sun's movements, and on just two days each year, the rising sun’s rays beam through the entrance, perfectly dividing the structure in two. This breathtaking phenomenon highlights the deep connection between the ancients and the cosmos. Believed to date back to the third century, Grianán of Aileach is said to stand on the site of a former Neolithic sacred space, and its concentric circular design reinforces its powerful energy.

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 midpoint of the three harvest festivals as we move towards 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. 

The 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). The tilt toward winter has begun.

From this moment, the outwardly expansive masculine energies will 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.

The invitation is to pause, observe, digest and embody this threshold moment which heralds the final descent towards the year's end at Samhain.

Image by Aaron Burden

Some journal prompts to inspire you:

What creative endeavours have you embarked on this year? Take a moment to acknowledge the seeds you've sown and the "harvest" you've reaped so far.

Have you a sense of the opposing forces showing up in your life at the moment? How can you dance with these opposites?

What aspects of your life are currently in a state of transition? What thresholds are you being invited to cross over?

How can you bring more harmony between work and rest, light and dark, or other aspects of your daily routine?

What are you finally ready to let go of? What patterns do you need to shed in order for new life to grow?

 
How can you find beauty as we enter the seasonal shift of Autumn? Can you start to write a daily gratitude list and harvest your blessings?

 
What medicine will prepare & resource you as we pivot into the darker half of the year?

What's happening at The Trailblazery

As the Great Wheel turns yet again, we are invited to pause and remember what we have travelled 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 Beo: Donegal 

We are delighted to launch the upcoming Autumn semester of
Scoil Scairte. This series will run from October 3 - November 28, 2024 and we are thrilled to announce a brilliant line-up for this upcoming sixth edition, which shines a spotlight on the inspirational people, places, songs and stories of Donegal (Dún na nGall).

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 3 - Nov 28) 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 here on our website.

Recommended Resources

Here are a few reading, watching and listening pieces to nourish and inspire you in the days ahead:

❀ Taste: For your tongue

The apple (Úill as gaeilge) 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

"The First Lady of Irish Music" Moya Brennan of Clannad joined John Creedon to reveal the mythological origins of Donegal's Poisoned Glen. Moya will be joining us for Scoil Scairte Beo: Donegal and we couldn’t be more thrilled!

✯ Listen: For your ears

Scoil Scairte Beo contributor Catriona Ní Ghribín is a musician and singer from the Gaeltacht of Gaoth Dobhair.

Now living in Belfast, she is performing with several bands including the groundbreaking Tradtronica band, Huartan. This track is called ‘FIÁIN’ (wild) with legendary Irish activist Bernadette McAliskey, featuring the melody of the Foggy Dew, an Irish rebel song that celebrates the Easter Rising of 1916, which is a plea to Irish politicians to remember our own history and struggle and to stand in true solidarity with the people of Palestine. 

♡ Cherish: For your heart

A new festival, Dorn san Aer, will be held in Gaoth Dobhair in memory of broadcaster Rónán Mac Aodha Bhuí, for the first time in September 2024. We recommend reaching out to organisers here to explore any opportunities for cooperation.

✬ Touch: For your pleasure

Léila Worth is a Donegal-based weaver who creates unique pieces from her garage on Gartan Lough using her 100-year-old hand loom. You can get a peek at her beautiful work on her Insagram @leilaworth and read more about Léila in this article.

✦ 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.

EnJOY these days - may the fading light be yours.
 
Thank you for walking this path with us,
 
Beannachtaí,
Kathy and all at The Trailblazery