The equinox has passed. This is a significant moment for the farm. Everything we produce is ultimately derived from the sun. But now that the equinox has passed, the Sun's presence is noticeably less. It is low in the sky, and present for less then half of the time. Of course it has been in decline for several months already, and it will continue to decline for several more, but the shift from "mostly sun", to "mostly night" is significant.
And we cherish these markings of time. Without distinction between periods, everything blends into one. Time marches on relentlessly and if you do not accentuate particular moments it will pass largely unnoticed. Suddenly you will wake up in a new time with hardly any memory of what has passed. This happens to us all the time. It is inevitable to some extent. You cannot be conscious of everything. For instance, what happened to this season? Wasn't I just ordering seeds? How did we get to week 17? I remember endless harvesting, but I do not remember 17 weeks. It is all a blur.
The way to rescue that blur from oblivion, is to accentuate enough particular moments that you can string them together into a punctuated series. In ancient times, most cultures practiced periodic feasts and festivals in order to mark and demarcate times and periods. Many of these periods were derived from natural phenomena that were experienced by everyone in the culture. They were unifying.
But pressure mounts. Time is squeezed. Who has time to throw an equinox party? Why should the equinox be celebrated anyways? It can be very difficult to put aside the to-do list in this fast paced world. We certainly struggle to be still. We would like to stop the craziness and look around and enjoy what is here. It is miraculous after all.
Recently we have been made aware of just how busy we have become. We want to be aware and have time to celebrate the passing of time. We don't want to sprint along "getting things done" only to be left at the end with a hazy blur. We are pushing back.
And perhaps that is the blessing of the equinox. Time moves on. Things change. The rush of summer slows. The quiet time of winter contemplation approaches. The energy center shifts from the bodies of plants and sinks down into the roots and head. Our chance to be still and conscious is coming.
The equinox is about more then the coming of night and the end of day or the end of heat and the beginning of cold. The equinox reminds us that change is constant. Life is dynamic. We can ignore it and lose it, or move and change and remember.
P.S. We are going to have an equinox party next year. You are invited. Hold us to it!
In your share:
Peppers
Eggplant
Potatoes
Cucumbers
Celery
Carrots
Garlic
Tulsi Basil
Dill
Flowers
Eggs
