Equinox
I supposed I should write this down before all the little details slip out of my head.
What a glorious Holyday, my all time favorite. Heralding my favorite season, harvest time, explosions of color, wind kicking up against my skin, sweater-or-not weather, cuddling under blankets, spices and roasts and harvesting these thoughts and experiences I've been growing and planting and tending since spring...to see what will come, and will we make it through winter.
will we?
we spiral down, the nights expanding, a vortex of spinning energy that picks up pace as the cycles continue, down down into ourself, to introspection, reflection. turning inward, the days (which have been shortening ever since the midsummers) gives sway over to night as that dark blanket begins to envelope this realm...our goddess...dark mother, her stars shining and staying with us longer each time we spin past them, before their brother blinds their presence from our sight.
anyway, i have been promising Devi a magickal adventure for some time. She was starting to ask over and over again, and it was hard to get the idea across that we would do so on Equinox. The night before, she asked again and i told her sweetly that tomorrow she woudl get up, go to school, and then I'd pick her and we'd go do it.
Oops, it was supposed to rain all day. Well, i though, appropriate for the first day of fall (considering the day before was an 80 degree send off for summer). Maybe it won't be so bad, maybe there will be a gap of sunshine, i have to take her, i can't disappoint her, I'd be the biggest douchiest mom around. she was even happy about going to school because she knew magickal adventures awaited.
So, the start off was slow, I didn't leave as early as I had hoped, I didn't get to Kali's until six or something, but still, it was cool. Made sense, on the summer solstice we had gone around noon, why not wait until the evening for autumnal? but oops, ang was getting groceries with kali's carseat in the car. I had to wait until she got back, it started to rain before she returned. when she got here a torent of rainfall ensued. definitely NO cranbrook. both girls were giving me quizzical "but-you-SAID" looks and i felt like crap.
immediately i tried to think of magickal alternatives? maybe we can just play in that torrential rain? I went out there to shut my car windows and got soaked! and i loved it...it just poured down on me..i had to stand out there and let it wash me away. but they didn't want kali out there, lightning or something. damn, foiled again.
i felt miserable...if i had only gotten there sooner, i missed the window of opportunity, the gods were laughing at me, making me a liar to my daughter. what was I to do?
well, it cleared up for a minute. the sun peaked out. there were huge puddles on the ground and everything was soaked. SO! I shouted, it's fall, what do you expect!!! I thought, "this is it!! now is the hour! do it now or never do it!! take control"
i asked ang and gordy, "do you mind? it will be the fastest magickal adventure ever, I just want to do something, just for half an hour, please?" they said do what you gotta do, so we got the kids in the car, steve came along and we high tailed it to cranbrook, with the sun quickly sinking.
but oh, it was perfect! perfect for autumn!! i was able to compare it to the summer and show them the difference three months can make. "remember last time? look at this time? i told you we'd have a magickal adventure, but i didn't say it'd be pretty!"
we had to sneak in around the 1904 gates since they were closed. we walked down the path and this time it was slathered in shadows. the girls were a little creeped out, but we all held hands as the sprinkles fell around us.
last time we saw butterflies. this time we saw frogs. three of them!! or more!! steve caught a few and the girls had fun squealing about it. we stomped in puddles and thought about how the nights were going to be longer than the days. last time was the longest day. remember how bright and hot it was? see today? see the rain and the wind cooling everything down. see these leaves turning colors and falling down? see?
last time we emerged thru the woods to see a clearing with a giant nine foot high bright blue fountain, spewing water down from above, filling a basin which then overflowed into a further basin. we took our shoes off and splashed around.
this time we climbed many many creepy darky steps towards a darkened alcove. "what's in there? you girls go first, i don't think steve and I can go any furhter." they set their lips, clasped hands and marched on, fearlessly.
ohhh, it was a very still pool, no movement, no laughing water...calm, and thoughtful. in the alcove, standing on a pedestal in the water, was a statue of a naked woman/goddess, with hips cocked curvily, a long cloth of some sort held in her hands stretching behind her. the stairs continued on, up out of the fountain, behind her, into the darkness (really there was a wall, but work with me)
we climbed more stairs, marched off to the snake rock in the middle of the meadow, flanked by the giant trees and the girls conquered the snake rock again, this time climbing one way and coming back the other. then we had to head back, as it was getting dark.
giant puddles, more frogs, more still water. we watched the rain patter on the lake. we said goodbye to the goddess.
coming back thru the shadowy the tunnel, the girls were much more scared, freaked out even. we held their hands tight and emerged from the tunnel. it was still creepy dark, the sky was so overcast, but a parkling lot light or something was there. and i said, "this isn't dark. look at your shadow. that's dark."
everybody stared down at the mass shadow that was made up of all four of us. so i had us all stand in a line so we could see our four separate shadows.
"watch," i said, "Everybody stand still." then i waved my arms around so i coudl find my shadow. everybody took turns finding there shadows while the rest of us remained still. and then we danced with our shadows, watching our twists and turns on the ground.
then off to the house for yummies to fill bellies.
it wasn't what I expected, but it was perfect!
the next day i showed devi all kinds of leaves changing colors and some on the ground. i think she gets it now.
Thank the gods, autumn is here. my favorite time. thank you gods, for such a magickal adventure. thank those little goddesses, and thank me too.
What a glorious Holyday, my all time favorite. Heralding my favorite season, harvest time, explosions of color, wind kicking up against my skin, sweater-or-not weather, cuddling under blankets, spices and roasts and harvesting these thoughts and experiences I've been growing and planting and tending since spring...to see what will come, and will we make it through winter.
will we?
we spiral down, the nights expanding, a vortex of spinning energy that picks up pace as the cycles continue, down down into ourself, to introspection, reflection. turning inward, the days (which have been shortening ever since the midsummers) gives sway over to night as that dark blanket begins to envelope this realm...our goddess...dark mother, her stars shining and staying with us longer each time we spin past them, before their brother blinds their presence from our sight.
anyway, i have been promising Devi a magickal adventure for some time. She was starting to ask over and over again, and it was hard to get the idea across that we would do so on Equinox. The night before, she asked again and i told her sweetly that tomorrow she woudl get up, go to school, and then I'd pick her and we'd go do it.
Oops, it was supposed to rain all day. Well, i though, appropriate for the first day of fall (considering the day before was an 80 degree send off for summer). Maybe it won't be so bad, maybe there will be a gap of sunshine, i have to take her, i can't disappoint her, I'd be the biggest douchiest mom around. she was even happy about going to school because she knew magickal adventures awaited.
So, the start off was slow, I didn't leave as early as I had hoped, I didn't get to Kali's until six or something, but still, it was cool. Made sense, on the summer solstice we had gone around noon, why not wait until the evening for autumnal? but oops, ang was getting groceries with kali's carseat in the car. I had to wait until she got back, it started to rain before she returned. when she got here a torent of rainfall ensued. definitely NO cranbrook. both girls were giving me quizzical "but-you-SAID" looks and i felt like crap.
immediately i tried to think of magickal alternatives? maybe we can just play in that torrential rain? I went out there to shut my car windows and got soaked! and i loved it...it just poured down on me..i had to stand out there and let it wash me away. but they didn't want kali out there, lightning or something. damn, foiled again.
i felt miserable...if i had only gotten there sooner, i missed the window of opportunity, the gods were laughing at me, making me a liar to my daughter. what was I to do?
well, it cleared up for a minute. the sun peaked out. there were huge puddles on the ground and everything was soaked. SO! I shouted, it's fall, what do you expect!!! I thought, "this is it!! now is the hour! do it now or never do it!! take control"
i asked ang and gordy, "do you mind? it will be the fastest magickal adventure ever, I just want to do something, just for half an hour, please?" they said do what you gotta do, so we got the kids in the car, steve came along and we high tailed it to cranbrook, with the sun quickly sinking.
but oh, it was perfect! perfect for autumn!! i was able to compare it to the summer and show them the difference three months can make. "remember last time? look at this time? i told you we'd have a magickal adventure, but i didn't say it'd be pretty!"
we had to sneak in around the 1904 gates since they were closed. we walked down the path and this time it was slathered in shadows. the girls were a little creeped out, but we all held hands as the sprinkles fell around us.
last time we saw butterflies. this time we saw frogs. three of them!! or more!! steve caught a few and the girls had fun squealing about it. we stomped in puddles and thought about how the nights were going to be longer than the days. last time was the longest day. remember how bright and hot it was? see today? see the rain and the wind cooling everything down. see these leaves turning colors and falling down? see?
last time we emerged thru the woods to see a clearing with a giant nine foot high bright blue fountain, spewing water down from above, filling a basin which then overflowed into a further basin. we took our shoes off and splashed around.
this time we climbed many many creepy darky steps towards a darkened alcove. "what's in there? you girls go first, i don't think steve and I can go any furhter." they set their lips, clasped hands and marched on, fearlessly.
ohhh, it was a very still pool, no movement, no laughing water...calm, and thoughtful. in the alcove, standing on a pedestal in the water, was a statue of a naked woman/goddess, with hips cocked curvily, a long cloth of some sort held in her hands stretching behind her. the stairs continued on, up out of the fountain, behind her, into the darkness (really there was a wall, but work with me)
we climbed more stairs, marched off to the snake rock in the middle of the meadow, flanked by the giant trees and the girls conquered the snake rock again, this time climbing one way and coming back the other. then we had to head back, as it was getting dark.
giant puddles, more frogs, more still water. we watched the rain patter on the lake. we said goodbye to the goddess.
coming back thru the shadowy the tunnel, the girls were much more scared, freaked out even. we held their hands tight and emerged from the tunnel. it was still creepy dark, the sky was so overcast, but a parkling lot light or something was there. and i said, "this isn't dark. look at your shadow. that's dark."
everybody stared down at the mass shadow that was made up of all four of us. so i had us all stand in a line so we could see our four separate shadows.
"watch," i said, "Everybody stand still." then i waved my arms around so i coudl find my shadow. everybody took turns finding there shadows while the rest of us remained still. and then we danced with our shadows, watching our twists and turns on the ground.
then off to the house for yummies to fill bellies.
it wasn't what I expected, but it was perfect!
the next day i showed devi all kinds of leaves changing colors and some on the ground. i think she gets it now.
Thank the gods, autumn is here. my favorite time. thank you gods, for such a magickal adventure. thank those little goddesses, and thank me too.