autumn sunset of reflectionHere in the Northern Hemisphere, we will be in the fall season following the Autumnal Equinox. Just as life ebbs and flows with its cycles, so does the planet. There are many cycles that are significant to a witch because it represents different aspects and times in the cycle of life. Just as the Southern Hemisphere comes into the Vernal Equinox and the beginning of spring and season of growing light we in the northern half find the balance in the waning times of darkness as the warm months shift and grow cold. As life is springing forward in the Southern half of the planet such as in life that Hemisphere celebrates the birth of life while it is our turn to honor the Death.

I find it most fascinating that in all of our world we find the balance in the polarities. Since I live in the Northern Hemisphere and am experiencing the second half of the cycle, I would like to talk about Autumn and how it relates to life. As we grow older with each passing year there comes a time in all of our lives when we look back at our life and determine if it was a good life or not. Do we feel complete? or is there more that we need to accomplish. In the later part of our life cycle, usually between 45 and 65 is our autumn season. Just as in life, Autumn is the time to reflect on the year and determine if we have done enough or if we must hurry to get ready for the final season of winter.

As Autumn progresses, we are in the between. It is time to complete the end of the summer projects and gather our resources to make it through the dark and cold months of Winter. Being at that season that is in between the hot, bright months of summer when life is in full swing and the Autumn Harvests which are often the focus of celebrations in many cultures and traditions. It is a time to gather what has grown. It is when all we worked for comes to fruition.

After the harvests, it is time to rest and enjoy life before we have to withdraw in the encumbrance of the upcoming season of aging and death. Much like the full moon is represented by the full bellied mother, the waning moon phase is represented by the crone, it is so, that the waning phase of the sun is represented by the transition of Autumn as it approaches the season of Winter when all things wither and die.

As you take the time to reflect back on the previous seasons, do not allow the ghosts of the past to haunt you. The time is coming near to allow the past to take its place in the dark recesses of memory as we move forward in the next phase of life. Remember, although death is impending, rebirth is sure to follow in its own time. Life never really ends and such is the cycle of all things. As we are reminded that Birth and Death are both symbiotic and necessary aspects of the complete cycle of our balanced existence through the polarity of Day and Night, light and darkness, hot and cold. Spring and fall are our between times.

Enjoy every aspect of life both linear and cyclic because they both exist, one because of the other.

Summer Song