The 2014 September equinox is upon us, occurring on the 22nd or 23rd, depending on where you are located on the globe. The Universal Coordinated Time comes on September 23, at 2:29 p.m. EDT. We experience a day and night of equal duration; a unique moment of balance in nature.

In the Northern Hemisphere, it is our autumn equinox, also called Mabon, a reference to a character from Welsh mythology. It falls in the middle of the harvest; a time to reap and give thanks for the bounty the Earth provides.

As crones we need to give gratitude for all we have experienced and accomplished in life. The following poem also reminds us of the importance of letting go and moving into the next chapter of our lives. With much of our harvest home, how are we called to cultivate the riches within our souls and to come to a deeper understanding of the meaning of our lives?

CIRCLE OF THE SEASONS: MABON
O now is the time of the Harvest,
As we draw near to the year’s end
Now is the time of Mabon
Autumn is the time to descend.
Old Woman waits patiently for us
At the threshold of the labyrinth within
She offers her hand that we may understand
The treasures that await at journey’s end.
O Great Mother has given of Her body,
We give thanks for Her fruit and Her grain
We then clear the fields so that next harvest’s yields
Will be full and abundant again.
Old Woman leads us through the darkness
Our most ancient and trusted of friends
She carries the light of spiritual insight
And leads us to our wisdom once again.
And as we journey through the darkness
And as we continue to descend
We learn to let go of what obscures our soul
And re-discover our true being in the end.

– Lisa Thiel