Autumn Equinox

The autumn equinox occurs this morning at 5:43 a.m. in the Pacific Northwest. Summer is over and darkness will again catch up to the light.

The rains have already begun (hallelujah!), Canadian geese are on the move south, the leaves are turning and beginning to drop, and night temperatures are cooler. Everything in nature is paring down, and moving energy to the roots and into the earth.

Mark the Start of Autumn:

1. Journal queries

2. Sustainable straw collecting

3. Make a straw doll

4. Fall cleaning and gardening

1. Journal queries:
The autumn equinox is the second balancing point in the year; in the fall we might gently shift our attention from the physical side of life to the spiritual and mental, to indoor projects and thoughtful pursuits. As the nights lengthen, we have more dark time available, to be alone and to think; to become clear about our intentions; to nurture inner seeds that may not sprout until spring.

This morning I take time to center, and consider the balance in my life.

How well do I balance my physical, mental, and spiritual needs?

How can I balance my personal needs with my commitments to the outside world? 

 

How do I balance my various priorities so they get the appropriate attention?

Think also of the balance in the world; meditate upon what this half of the year will bring, dark and light, and how best I can take right action in the world.

2. Sustainable Straw Collecting:

We all have ancestors who were gatherers, who collected from nature to fill their family's larder. These were people who knew the best place to collect nuts, berries, and grains; knew how to leave enough to ensure a new harvest in the future; and knew how to show gratitude and thanksgiving.

Somewhere along the way my ancestors lost the wisdom of how to collect wisely and began to take more than they needed, and lay waste to the environment. I felt a need to heal from this ancestral history, and so I designed my Nature-culture process for collecting - a thoughtful way to gather food and materials that is sustainable and honorable. 

To be clear, I used to routinely collect decorative wheat from a craft store, wrapped in cellophane - not very sustainable or honorable. Now I gather it sometimes from my garden and sometimes from nature. Here are the steps:

1. Observe - Keep your eyes open whenever you go outside to really see what nature has to offer. Part of observation is deep examination, drawing or meditating on the subject to get to know it better.

This is most likely wild wheat, 
planted by birds in our front yard.

2. Research - Know what it is you are collecting, so you don't accidentally take something rare or endangered (or poisonous).

3. Collect sustainably - Only take a portion; leave some for the animals and birds and some to fall to the ground to reseed the area.

4. Give thanks - Say a little prayer or thank-you to the Earth and the Creator for providing.

3. Make a straw doll:

2017 straw doll

Wheat and straw weaving is an ancient art form, done all over the world, as a symbol of the harvest. 

The custom in Europe was to make a straw figure out of the last sheaf of wheat that was harvested, so the spirit of the grain had a place to live through the winter. Then it was planted again in the spring.

I usually make a simple figure with a few pieces of straw and scraps of fabric.

Supplies: Straw, carpet thread, scissors, water, cloth scraps


1. Collect a handful of grain, and cut to 6-1/2-inches, leaving some of the grain heads longer. 

Tie them together just below the grain heads with carpet thread.

2. Soak a couple of shiny pieces of straw in hot water for about 15 minutes, and flatten them out with your fingers. 



Wrap the flat pieces around the head, and tie at the neck with carpet thread.



3. Tie a few short pieces together at both ends, trim them, and insert them under the head for the arms.

Tie them in place, wrapping thread in a X across the chest.

5. Finally, add a few scraps of bright cloth for a vest or skirt.

2024 Corn doll

6. Fall cleaning and gardening:
Fall cleaning has an entirely different feel and focus than spring cleaning. In the fall we finish up, pack away, and "batten the hatches" -- we put away all the outdoor stuff, air out the sweaters, and prepare for winter.

This next week I will start my fall cleaning in the studio and driveway. I plan to:

• Finish a bike anchor and a covered trailer storage area.
• Clean and repaint the window frames outside the studio
• Take a load of studio and driveway clutter to the thrift store.

I'm doing the same kind of hatch-battening in the garden:

• Move leaves and volunteer snowberry
• Plant winter rye and fava beans
• Dig out the lilac roots
• Collect and save bean seeds