FALL EQUINOX AND FULL MOON
September 21? 22? 23?, 2002
Friends are asking me about Fall Equinox 'celebrations' --- they are asking me where they are, can we join them, what does one do at them, why are they held, what can we do.(Some are observing this on Sept. 21. The technical beginning of the equinox is at 12:55 a.m. EST Sept. 23. So that's Sunday night/ Monday morning.)
Perhaps due to my own heightened awareness about Raymon Grace's September 22nd Call To Action, I have been more aware of messages I am getting from other people on this subject, around this time. So here's some info for you.
This year, the Equinox (there is an equinox in the spring and the fall, when the day and night are of "equal" length. The Solstice is in the summer and the winter, when we experience the shortest, and, the longest days of the year). This Full Moon is the Harvest moon, also known as the Full Corn Moon or the Full Barley Moon and occurs at 09:59 EST on September 21.
PLEASE NOTE: I did this really quickly, in about an hour, more cut and paste than editing and nicely formatting. - Marilyn - 9.19.2002
SO I INCLUDE HERE:
Since I'm doing the web page I can write my opinion. So, This
is what I think about it:
Women are important to lead these events as this is about Mother Earth and the Moon is feminine. Honor thy mother. The Bear tribe has ceremonies at dusk, the magic time. Women are the keepers of magic, that which is dark and secretive. We are moving from patriarchal back to matriarchal times and wisdom --- a time of peace.
Celebrations, meditations, observances --- whatever one does --- have more "power" more "oomph" when there are more people doing it --- when there are more people doing the same thing at the same time. As in The More The Merrier. This is why August 26th Raymon's Call To Action was so effective: many minds were focused on the same thing at the same time. Thoughts are energy. Focused thoughts are focused energy. It's not necessarily that these days have power in their own right, its that its easiest for humans to make note of them and because we have done this we give power to these days. Humans have known this and they mark these days the easiest way they know how: through the seasons. Every culture knows the longest day, the shortest day, the 2 days of the year where the day and the night are equal. So that's the marker they use to gather together and share energy.AND:Monday of this past week was the observance of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish year. This is the day of contemplation. One reviews and releases one's transgressions. You walk to the lake so you can --- symbolically --- throw your transgressions in to the lake. It is the day of forgiveness. The day of Atonement.
But what this really is --- its the day of At-One-ment where you become ---- and/or strive to become --- At One with God. You can not be At One with God if you do not forgive yourself. So what it is really about is forgiving oneself --- in order to become At One with God. Many people think its forgiving others. Nope. It's harder than that. It's forgiving yourself.
Jews all over the world do this at the same time. So there is more power to it, the energy that day is geared towards contemplation and forgiveness. So its almost as if all the thoughts in the world combine to open up that part of heaven a little bit wider where we can find forgiveness --- in our hearts --- of ourselves.
With the 9.11 event and the possibility of Planet X or approaching some cosmic event and the awareness that negative forces are trying to take control, those who are working for good realize we really have to get out there and do our thing. We are more aware, more active, we are doing our work. And, in doing this, we are raising mass consciousness and others are taking part.AND:The dark forces have lost. They just haven't realized it yet. They are still acting out. It's like shutting off the water in a hose. You shut off the supply, but for awhile there is still water in the hose until its emptied.
We are moving more and more in to the Aquarian Age energy. Small groups. Communities. We are being pulled to get together in small community groups and work for the universal good of humanity. The Toronto Dowsers is one such small community group.Here are some links folks sent me this week --- you have to cut and paste. Some are doing this Sept. 21, some Sept 22, some Sept. 25th. Maybe we'll all get together and work on it the same day?I wrote an article on this 2 years ago but folks weren't ready for it yet. Maybe now. You can find it at: Aquarian Age
We in the west have our own ways of observing this event. Aquarian energy is affecting our entire planet. They must be following these traditions in China, Brazil, Kenya, Tibet, Indonesia, Tasmania, etc. Aquarian energy encourages us to be aware of the universe.
www.heal-the-earth.com (Raymon's Call to Action)
http://thank-water.net/english/ (From Masaru Emoto's work
on water)
http://www.whetung.com/pow.html (A Pow Wow weekend near
Toronto)
http://www.peaceoneday.org/ (World wide peace organizations)
Fall Equinox
WICCAN / PAGAN:
Fall Equinox, also known
as Mabon, occurs in the middle of September. It is the main harvest
festival of the Wiccan calendar
and marks the beginning of Autumn. The Goddess manifests in Her
Bountiful Mother aspects.
The God emerges as the Corn King and Harvest Lord. Colors are Orange,
Dark Red, Yellow, Indigo,
and Brown. It is the festival of thanksgiving.
Select the best of each vegetable,
herb, fruit, nut, and other food you have harvested or purchased
and give it back to Mother
Earth with prayers of thanksgiving. Hang dried ears of corn around your
home in appreciation of
the harvest season. Do meditations and chanting as you store away food
for the Winter. Do a thanksgiving
circle, offering thanks as you face each direction -- for home,
finances, and physical health
(North); for gifts of knowledge (East); for accomplishments in career
and hobbies (South); for
relationships (West); and for spiritual insights and messages (Center).
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The Fall Equinox, or Mabon, is celebrated as the final harvest of the
season. This holiday was pivotal in ancient times, since a good final
harvest was crucial to surviving the winter months ahead. This is
the
time of year where we truly reap what we have sown and we prepare
for the long winter that lays before us. The day and night are again
equal in time and the God has traveled at last to His place of rest.
Now, He has sacrificed the last of Himself to provide us with a final
harvest of food before the winter begins. Celebrants gather to mark
the
turning of the wheel and to give thanks for the ultimate sacrifice of The
God, recognizing that He will be reborn at Yule. This holiday has
been
called "The Witches' Thanksgiving" and is a time for feasting together
with family and friends.
This is also the time to welcome the season of the Crone. Kore' goes
to
the Underworld to learn the secrets of the Crone (or in some stories she
is kidnapped by Hades), and the earth is bare as Her mother, Demeter,
mourns Her loss. But although the winter is before us, we know that
the wheel will turn again, life will be reborn, and our blessings are
bountiful.
- - - - - - - - - -
Although our Pagan ancestors probably celebrated Harvest
Home on September 25th, modern
Witches and Pagans, with their desk-top computers for
making finer calculations, seem to
prefer the actual equinox point, beginning the celebration
on its eve (this year, sunset on
September 21st).
Mythically, this is the day of the year when the god of
light is defeated by his twin and
alter-ego, the god of darkness. It is the time of the
year when night conquers day. And as I
have recently shown in my seasonal reconstruction of the
Welsh myth of Blodeuwedd, the
Autumnal Equinox is the only day of the whole year when
Llew (light) is vulnerable and it is
possible to defeat him. Llew now stands on the balance
(Libra/autumnal equinox), with one foot
on the cauldron (Cancer/summer solstice) and his other
foot on the goat (Capricorn/winter
solstice). Thus he is betrayed by Blodeuwedd, the Virgin
(Virgo) and transformed into an Eagle
(Scorpio).
Two things are now likely to occur mythically, in rapid
succession. Having defeated Llew,
Goronwy (darkness) now takes over Llew's functions, both
as lover to Blodeuwedd, the
Goddess, and as King of our own world. Although Goronwy,
the Horned King, now sits on Llew's
throne and begins his rule immediately, his formal coronation
will not be for another six weeks,
occurring at Samhain (Halloween) or the beginning of Winter,
when he becomes the Winter
Lord, the Dark King, Lord of Misrule. Goronwy's other
function has more immediate results,
however. He mates with the virgin goddess, and Blodeuwedd
conceives, and will give birth --
nine months later (at the Summer Solstice) -- to Goronwy's
son, who is really another
incarnation of himself, the Dark Child.
Llew's sacrificial death at Harvest Home also identifies
him with John Barleycorn, spirit of the
fields. Thus, Llew represents not only the sun's power,
but also the sun's life trapped and
crystallized in the corn. Often this corn spirit was believed
to reside most especially in the last
sheaf or shock harvested, which was dressed in fine clothes,
or woven into a wicker-like
man-shaped form. This effigy was then cut and carried
from the field, and usually burned,
amidst much rejoicing. So one may see Blodeuwedd and Goronwy
in a new guise, not as
conspirators who murder their king, but as kindly farmers
who harvest the crop which they had
planted and so lovingly cared for. And yet, anyone who
knows the old ballad of John Barleycorn
knows that we have not heard the last of him.
They let him stand till midsummer's day,
Till he looked both pale and wan,
And little Sir John's grown a long, long beard
And so become a man...
Incidentally, this annual mock sacrifice of a large wicker-work
figure (representing the
vegetation spirit) may have been the origin of the misconception
that Druids made human
sacrifices. This charge was first made by Julius Caesar
(who may not have had the most
unbiased of motives), and has been re-stated many times
since. However, as has often been
pointed out, the only historians besides Caesar who make
this accusation are those who have
read Caesar. And in fact, upon reading Caesar's 'Gallic
Wars' closely, one discovers that Caesar
never claims to have actually witnessed such a sacrifice.
Nor does he claim to have talked to
anyone else who did. In fact, there is not one single
eyewitness account of a human sacrifice
performed by Druids in all of history!
Nor is there any archeological evidence to support the
charge. If, for example, human sacrifices
had been performed at the same ritual sites year after
year, there would be physical traces.
Yet there is not a scrap. Nor is there any native tradition
or history which lends support. In
fact, insular tradition seems to point in the opposite
direction. The Druid's reverence for life was
so strict that they refused to lift a sword to defend
themselves when massacred by Roman
soldiers on the Isle of Mona. Irish brehon laws forbade
a Druid to touch a weapon, and any soul
rash enough to unsheathe a sword in the presence of a
Druid would be executed for such an
outrage!
Jesse Weston, in her brilliant study of the Four Hallows
of British myth, 'From Ritual to
Romance', points out that British folk tradition is, however,
full of MOCK sacrifices. In the case
of the wicker-man, such figures were referred to in very
personified terms, dressed in clothes,
addressed by name, etc. In such a religious ritual drama,
everybody played along.
They've hired men with scythes so sharp,
To cut him off at the knee,
They've rolled him and tied him by the waist
Serving him most barbarously...
In the medieval miracle-play tradition of the 'Rise Up,
Jock' variety (performed by troupes of
mummers at all the village fairs), a young harlequin-like
king always underwent a mock sacrificial
death. But invariably, the traditional cast of characters
included a mysterious 'Doctor' who had
learned many secrets while 'traveling in foreign lands'.
The Doctor reaches into his bag of tricks,
plies some magical cure, and presto! the young king rises
up hale and whole again, to the
cheers of the crowd. As Weston so sensibly points out,
if the young king were ACTUALLY killed,
he couldn't very well rise up again, which is the whole
point of the ritual drama! It is an
enactment of the death and resurrection of the vegetation
spirit. And what better time to
perform it than at the end of the harvest season?
In the rhythm of the year, Harvest Home marks a time of
rest after hard work. The crops are
gathered in, and winter is still a month and a half away!
Although the nights are getting cooler,
the days are still warm, and there is something magical
in the sunlight, for it seems silvery and
indirect. As we pursue our gentle hobbies of making corn
dollies (those tiny vegetation spirits)
and wheat weaving, our attention is suddenly arrested
by the sound of baying from the skies
(the 'Hounds of Annwn' passing?), as lines of geese cut
silhouettes across a harvest moon. And
we move closer to the hearth, the longer evening hours
giving us time to catch up on our
reading, munching on popcorn balls and caramel apples
and sipping home-brewed mead or ale.
What a wonderful time Harvest Home is! And how lucky we
are to live in a part of the country
where the season's changes are so dramatic and majestic!
And little Sir John in the nut-brown bowl--
And he's brandy in the glass,
And little Sir John in the nut-brown bowl
Proved the strongest man at last.
Mabon is the celebration of the Autumn Equinox. (exact
times vary from year to year - check
your current almanac for exact times)
Mabon is traditionally the second harvest festival of the
year. Throughout the wheel of the
year we have been planning, planting our wishes, and working
hard toward our goals. At this
time, we may make the final "harvest" of our dreams and
at Mabon we shall give thanks for the
"riches" of the year.
While in the past, most all were farmers, this harvest
festival traditionally applies to the harvest
of foods, yet in this day and age, the "harvest" may also
apply to the "seeds of dreams and
wishes" that were planted many months earlier. Now is
the time to see if they have come true.
Whether they have come true or not ... a ritual to thank
the growing energies of the God and
the fertility of the Goddess should be preformed at this
time. Lay upon your altar a sampling of
your "harvest" .... use it freely in your ritual. (Note:
even if your "harvest" came up empty, IE:
your dreams were not fulfilled, the God and Goddess should
still be thanked for the effort put
forth in your name)
Mabon marks the first "thanksgiving" Sabbat for Witches.
At this time many gather together to
share what they can share. (Samhain / Halloween also is
a "thanksgiving" Sabbat) Whether the
sharing is a story, a helpful hand, a bale of hay, or
? ... it is a tradition to bring something that
you grew, "created", or obtained during the earlier part
of the Witches year to any ritual or
gathering that you may attend at this time.
At the Autumn Equinox the sun and moon are in complete
balance. From this day forth (until
Spring Equinox) the moon (Goddess) will once again reign
supreme over the sun (God).
Harvest Meditation
Please take a seat and clear your mind
of what fills it now and hear these
words:
As you are sitting, close your eyes and
feel the yellow of the sun. Reach up
with your arms and let your fingertips
touch that yellow. Now, lay back, with
your arms extended and become a ray
of the sun. As we all lay in a circle, we
form the sun - we are all rays of this
vivid starburst.
Look down to the Earth and see the
fields ripe with the summer's
abundance. Find your self in the center
of this abundance holding a large willow
basket, eager to begin your autumn
harvest.
Step first into an expanse of sweet
corn. See the erect, regal, green stalks
of corn. Observe a ripe ear on a
particular stalk which extends to you.
Under its scruffy whiskers kernels that
sparkle like gold shine through. You are
reminded of your own riches - both
tangible and intangible. Reach out and
pick this ear and put it into your
basket.
Leave the corn field and enter an
orchard; an apple orchard. See the
beauty of these trees, these majestic
symbols of the Goddess. Feel the
fullness of her boughs - full of ruby red
apples of knowledge. Reach up, way
up, and pick two. Put one in your
basket and eat the other. Taste and
enjoy this fruit - for in this garden
tasting an apple is not forbidden.
Now move toward an onion field which
beckons you. Once green, now
browning spikes point up to you,
tempting you to dig below…..Pull gently
and the ground gives birth to an
iridescent, opal bulb, full of body and
character and strength. A vegetable
with the power to make you feel the
power of tears. Add this to your
growing harvest.
Notice ahead thick bushes of ripened
raspberries. Sharp brambles protecting
their precious, succulent garnets. The
sweet nectar of these berries remind
you of your own sensuality - your own
ability to feel, express, extend all that
is soft and loving and warm to others.
Take your time here and pick plenty of
these supple jewels for your basket.
Step away now and look around you.
Find a patch of fruit or vegetables that
appeals to you. Enter it, admire its
offerings, select a precious gem of your
own to harvest. Choose a resource to
sustain you in the rapidly upcoming
time of cold and darkness. Capture
some warmth and light and savor its
presence.
With your arms now laden with this
basket of bountiful treasures, it is time
now to rest. Take your harvest to the
grassy knoll in the sun just beyond and
sit and bask in the glory of its healing
heat. Rest in contentment knowing
you have collected that which you
need to give you strength and
nourishment in the winter days to
come.
Put yourself back in the sky now.
Become the sun once again. Shine
down upon yourself and your
gatherings. Absorb the energy of the
fruits of your labors, bless these seeds
you planted in the Spring and nurtured
to fruition through the summer. Be the
sun. Shine down upon all that is good
and good-giving. Give the light of hope
to all you shine upon.
When everything you have touched
with your rays is full of your brightness,
open your eyes and rejoin our circle.
WESTERN, as in the US:
Today is the official beginning of autumn. The air is crisp, the
foliage is spectacular, there is a nip in the air. Summer is over,
and Winter is quickly approaching. Autumn is the second time of
balance in the year, when day and night are of equal length. It is
a time to celebrate the harvest and to store our abundance for
the coming cold but cozy months of winter. Animals are busy
preparing for winter hibernation. Everywhere, there is great
energy in the air. From this point on, we celebrate the oncoming
season of shorter days and longer nights.
NATIVE:
Sun Bear (Alabama, South Carolina, Florida)
Chumash - California
THE BEAR TRIBE’S MISSION/VISION STATEMENT
The Bear Tribe Medicine Society is a network of contemporary people of all races drawn together by the vision and legacy of Sun Bear, a Native American teacher whose life’s work was to form a tribe of teachers responsible for sharing with others those lessons of earth harmony and responsibility they had each successfully learned. The Bear Tribe is not a tribe bounded by geography or ethnicity, but rather by belief and action. It is a tribe-in-progress composed of people who are constantly learning better ways of serving the sacred web of life.
While the Bear Tribe honors the Native tradition from which Sun Bear came, its cross-cultural teachings are based on many sources of Earth Wisdom. The Bear Tribe teaches what its members are learning: earth awareness, the philosophies of worldwide earth cultures as they relate to contemporary society, personal vision, personal responsibility, self-reliance, self-generated ceremony, working with and for the earth, and finding ways to preserve and protect the environment for this generation and all future generations. We strive to achieve this through our programs, books and other items.
Mobile, Alabama
http://www.ewebtribe.com/BearTribe/news-events/autumn/fall.htmlFall Equinox
As the wheel of seasons change we find ourselves moving into "The Time
of Mudjekeewis, the Spirit Keeper
of the West"
Mudjekeewis, the Father of all the Winds, provides a home for the thunder beings.
Now is the time of the Harvest. This season comes with the colors
of blue and black. It is the time of
twilight, that magical time of day between light and dark. The time
of dusk.
This year, the Autumn equinox falls on September 23rd. We will spend
the early part of the day cooking and
preparing for the Harvest Celebration. We will set an Altar of fruits,
vegetables and brightly colored leaves
and then we will light candles of brown, gold, orange, blue and black.
The candles will burn all night in
gratitude of all we have received from the season past. The
next morning, the bounty of our Harvest Altar
will be placed in the woods as our give-away back to the Earth and "all
our relations."
We will visit our Earth Mound. The Earth Mound is an Altar made of
earth that holds
prayers and gifts for each season. Over the years more earth is added
as we come
togther in community, each bringing to the mound our heartfelt gratitude
for life and
the changing season. We have a large stone that sits in the direction
of the season.
This stone is moved clockwise to the new position each Solstice and Equinox.
We
sing songs of the season past and songs of the new season.
The Earth Mound is round in honor of Turtle Island, like the turtle's back,
and the
stone represents her head. It is our altar to Mother Earth.
We thank her for carrying
us on her back and providing for us and our needs. As we move
her head to the new seasonal position she
looks out from her sacred place to watch over us and "all our relations."
We will come together to sweat and pray at dusk. It is during this
time of life that people who have been
given a vision know themselves well enough to be ready to share the lessons
of their vision. In our Lodge
we will start our prayers in the South to honor the season past.
As we move to the West, we will seek the
guidance of Mudjekeewis to help us aspire to maturity. We will pray
for strength,
adaptability, responsibility, teachings, leadership and power. We
will ask for help in
discerning our purpose in life and then pray for help to fulfill that purpose.
When we reach a level of maturity we need to go beyond ourselves and concern
ourselves about the welfare of others. We need to use our abilities
for the good of
the people.
It is at this time that we pray for the power of Mudjekeewis to help us
serve..... to
serve with strength, courage, grace and great ability. Mudjekeewis
brings healing to
the spiritual level....healing to all that we consider to be sacred.
Our Lodge will end
with gratitude and thanksgiving for this knowing.
We will conclude our day of celebration by preparing "spirit plate" and
placing it on the Earth Mound and
then we will partake of the feast from the bounty of our harvest.
We will eat, laugh, tell stories of the
summer months and share our plans for the fall.
When the kitchen is cleaned and all is made ready for the next day, we
will sit in circle and smoke our pipes
before retiring for the night.
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http://www.angelfire.com/id/newpubs/fall44.html
The Chumash Indians of southern California were once the largest
cultural
group among the western tribes. But 'reduction' by Spanish, Mexican, and
American invaders of California greatly reduced their numbers. Today, only
the Samala subdivision of the Chumash are legally recognized by the federal
government.
Chumash Autumn Equinox
Introduction
This text explores social and spiritual beliefs about the autumn equinox,
as expressed in the
traditions of the Chumash Indians of southern California. Their equinox
ceremonies were held on
September 21. This was the exact moment in time when day and night
are of equal length.
September is the ninth month of the solar year. It is the time when
Mother Earth bears the fruits of
her womb and provides prosperous crops of seeds, fruit, and animal
meat. In this sense, the earth
mirrors the physiological pattern experienced by human females, whose
gestation period is also nine
months. Prayers, songs, verse, and political orations associated with
equinox gatherings frequently
touch upon the importance of Mother Earth and of the Sun and other
celestial bodies that impact
human life during the fall season.
They are rich in inspirational locution. Many phrases enriched public
discourse during this season,
including poetic-mythological references to the Eye of the Sun, the
Beauty of the World, the Flower
of the Wind, the Children of the Sun, and enigmatic discussions of
the Sun's Shadow and the Walnut
Shell Enigma. One of the purposes of this text is to introduce the
reader to the turn of mind that
produced such inviting phraseology, embodied in public pronouncements
of hope qualified with
overtones of foreboding and redemption.
The fall equinox is one of the four major astronomically determined
holidays of the Chumash
calendar. The spring equinox, and the two solstices, complete the quadrisected
ceremonial year. The
fall equinox is characterized by a season of harvesting, plus the beginning
of the darker days of
approaching winter.
F.L. Kitsepawit was one of the leading Chumash historians of the early
twentieth century. He used
John Harrington of the Smithsonian Institution as a consultant. Together,
they preserved important
information on Chumash equinox traditions. The Kitsepawit/Harrington
field notes included, for
example, tantalizing passages about the teachings of I. Suluwish, concerning
the equinox and what
he described as the Shadow of the Sun. This text begins with a background
discussion of the
shadows created by the sun, and how an analysis of the cosmic duality
of shadow/light contributes to
our understanding of traditional Chumash theology.
To understand the phrase Shadow of the Sun it is helpful to examine
the meaning of 'shadow' in
Chumash teachings. Clearly the sun is not a shadow, but rather the
mirror opposite. It's rays drive
away shadow! Throughout this text, therefore, the role of the Sun as
illuminator is a reoccurring
subject of discussion. Secondary shadow themes associated with the
approaching winter months
include dusk, dark, shade, insubstantiality, foreboding, and demonology.
Speeches made at Chumash equinox gatherings often emphasized the need
for caution.4 The day
after the equinox, the sun began a six month period of declining power.
With each setting sun, the
length of the day was diminished, and the length of the night increased.
Family elders warned
against the approaching winter. They did not let themselves be lulled
into thinking that the hot days
and good weather would last much longer. The Thanksgiving feast that
followed the equinox was a
time of joy. But the educated Chumash knew that the approaching winter
months would test both
individual and communal spirituality.
John Anderson
July, 2001
Chumash Autumn Equinox
[ A Book by Dr. John Anderson ]
Chapter 1
The Sun Ceremony
The well-known Chumash historian F.L. Kitsepawit described his people's
traditional gatherings for
the fall equinox ceremony in some detail. He explained that the equinox
observance takes place in
the Month of Hutash, which is September. Like the Harvest Festival,
an event that occurs later in this
month, the Sun Ceremony does not take place until after the harvest
is picked, processed, and
stored. A characteristic of equinox oratory was the repeated expression
of cautionary language. And
many of these foreboding speeches were presented by the Paha, or master
of ceremony, who took on
the role of the Sun Priest.
Twelve Antap officials served under the Sun Priest at the equinox gathering.
Each represented a
month of the solar year. Presumedly, the beginning of this Sun Ceremony
ended the official work of
six of the attending Antap officials and ushered in the period in which
the remaining six Antap
officials became more active. The ritual obligations of the spring
and summer Antap officials had
focused on secular issues. But the newly active fall and winter Antap
would focus the people's
attention on spiritual issues concerning communal unity in the face
of winter confinement, death, and
rebirth.
The Role of the Sun in Chumash Theology
To this date, no consensus has emerged among American academics writing
about Chumash
theology. In the early part of the twentieth century Christian bias,
and a heavy reliance on Catholic
mission archival materials, led to a pandemic denigration of Chumash
traditionalism. When the field
notes of John Harrington became available in the second half of the
century, however, a vast amount
of new data stimulated an academic reassessment of Chumash theology.
But Harrington's field notes
were not self-explanatory. Exegesis of his vast Chumash data continues,
therefore, and a consensus
remains an elusive goal because so many statements made by Chumash
working with Harrington led
to the publication of commentary presenting contradictory or at times
erroneous explanations of
Chumash metaphysics. Kitsepawit told Harrington on one occasion, for
example, that the sun was the
"chief" god of the Chumash who "adored" the Sun. Unfortunately this
commentary led Hudson and
Underhay to conclude that the Sun was the Chumash supreme supernatural
being. But this is clearly
incorrect, for the supreme Chumash supernatural was the creator deity
who I have described in other
texts as living at [behind?] the North Star. This creator was the "Invisible
One" who is misidentified
by Hudson and Underhay as the Sun. But it was Eagle who served as the
celestial guardian of the
invisible deity's pure realm which was located at the apex of the cosmos,
while the Sun remained far
below in a less pure level of the sky.
The Chumash called their solar deity "uncle. In a Samala narrative,
he is depicted as an old widower
with two unmarried daughters. These daughters presumedly are the Morning
Star and the Evening
Star. But in a Lulapin Chumash narrative told by R. Timi, they are
depicted as the wives of the Sun.
Like the uncle in Chumash family life, the Sun was a stern disciplinarian,
who did not allow his
nephews to indulge in their greed or become lazy. He watched over all
daily events, with his great
solar eye which "sees everything." But this did not mean that the solar
deity saw everything that
transpired in the cosmos, only that he saw what transpired on the earth
when he was traveling in the
sky on his daily journey from east to west. When twilight came and
night fell, the solar power
diminished dramatically as the sun disappeared at sunset, moving into
the western portal which leads
into the underworld.
The celestial Eagle, Coyote, and Morning Star became active in the night
sky, as they gambled with
one another to determine the fate of humanity. Yet somehow the Sun
participated as the fourth
member of this gambling contest, allied with the celestial Eagle who
was the sun's superior. How the
sun managed to be active in the night sky. without driving away the
night lights, is unknown.
Kakunupmawa is a ritual name for the Sun. According to traditional Chumash
lore, all humans were
known as children of the Sun, or "sons of Kakunupmawa" Yet , even though
they identified
themselves as sons of the Sun, educated Chumash did not claim to fully
understanding.
http://www.highlandsprings.org/equinox1.html
Fall Equinox:Sacred Community
at Highland Springs Life Center
September 19-22, 2002
Guided by
Brugh Joy and Carolyn Conger
This Unique Event is Filling Rapidly.
Register Now to Avoid Disappointment.
During the Autumnal Equinox we will gather in sacred community
on the rolling oak woodlands, beautiful meadows and
breathtaking mountain views offered by Highland Springs
Life Center in Northern California, about one hour Northeast of
Sacramento. This is a time to gather with others, to enter deep
personal and collective spiritual states of awareness through
prayer, chant, dance, song, and through individual and communal
rituals. "Holos", a megalithic stone circle, will be initiated during
our first gathering.
There will be time for solitude in nature and time to join in
community. The 700 acres of the Life Center and River Highlands
Ranch border an 11,000 acre state wildlife preserve and
recreation area. You'll enjoy contemplative walks, the many
ponds, indigenous flora and fauna, clear air and beautiful night
skies. This is a special time set aside for celebration of spirit,
individually and communally, in an inspiring natural setting.
Bring your musical instruments, artist materials and journals. Days
will be warm and nights cool, so "layering" is the way to go. Also
bring hiking boots or other sturdy footwear--and don't forget
your flashlight!
Fees: $295 per person, including all meals. ( $200 of your
donation to Highland Springs is deductible to the extent allowed
by tax law and the IRS.) Brugh and Carolyn are donating their
services for this event
FULL MOON
LUNAR GLOW
The harvest moon is the name given to the full moon closest to the
autumnal equinox.
Looking for a heavenly rendezvous? The moon's available 9/21 By Jim Bencivenga | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
"Dad, the moon is coming home with us."
Songwriter Greg Brown puts these words in the mouth of a young girl riding with her father in his pickup truck as a full moon rises over the Iowa plains. The song taps the celestial magic of a moon at the horizon's edge. The orange orb appears closer, even as it actually distances itself from Earth.
If it has been awhile since the moon came "home with you," next month's harvest moon on Sept. 21, is your best bet for a heavenly rendez-vous.
Hardworking New England farmers in the 17th century were the first Americans
to "moonlight" on the job. They gave the adjective "harvest" to September's
moon and thanked nature's God for providing them with extra light to bring
in the crop.
Normally, the moon rises 50 minutes later each night. But there are key variations in its travels across the sky. In the northern latitudes, September is when these variations are most visible.
The reason for this is that the harvest moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. On the 21st, the full moon rises at sunset per the norm, but then, for several nights, it will appear just 25 minutes or so later. This stems from the tilt of Earth at this time of year. And the effect increases if the full moon occurs on or about the date of the equinox, as it does this year.
The harvest moon will also be more pronounced this year because it occurs at the same time as the low point of the moon's own orbital tilt, which traverses an 18.6-year cycle. This accentuates (fast-forwards from our vantage point on Earth) the angle its orbit makes with the eastern horizon at moonrise.
Full moons always rise at or near sunset. That's because, in order to appear full to us, the moon's fully illuminated hemisphere - its "day" side - must be facing us. And, for the dayside to face entirely in our direction, the moon has to be opposite the sun. Hence, all full moons rise in the east as the sun is setting in the west. And all full moons are highest in the sky around midnight, when the sun is below our feet.
Why does the moon look bigger on first appearance each month? It is an old lunar mystery known as the "moon illusion." As the moon peeks over the horizon, we see it swell to enormous size and then, in just a few hours after it climbs in the sky, (as Earth rotates on its axis through the night) appear to melt like a giant snowball.
Timothy Ferris, offers a preliminary explanation in his new book, "Seeing
in the Dark." This theory holds that when confronted with a phenomenon
beyond its sensory experience, the human mind creates its own impression
and an
object near the horizon is perceived as larger than something high
in the sky.
When considering the moon, there's always more than meets the eye. Some 900 million years ago, a day on Earth was 18 hours. Thanks to the gravitational "braking" force of the moon, we now have a 24-hour day. The reciprocal force of Earth's gravity on the moon long ago caused the moon's rotation to synchronize exactly with its orbit around Earth every 29 1/2 days. That's why, from Earth, we always see the same side of the moon.
And if this gravitational handshake isn't enough to make you stop and look anew at the moon, consider that the "inconstant" moon of literature is still, literally, drifting away from Earth as if gently ending its relationship with its suitor.
Laser beams shot from Earth and bounced off reflectors placed on the
moon by Apollo astronauts confirm that the moon separates itself from Earth
at a rate of 1.5 inches a year. At this point in galactic time, total solar
eclipses occur because the moon is close enough to earth for them to
occur. In a few million years, the moon will be too far away to cover the
entire solar disk and only partial eclipses will be visible.
Better "come home" with the moon Sept. 21.