Mabon, the Autumnal Equinox

Today is Mabon, the autumnal equinox in the northern hemisphere, when the Sun enters the sign of Libra and the day and night are equal. It is a time for returning to balance—personally, socially, politically, and ecologically. It is the gateway into the darker half of the year, as the night now overtakes the day. As we spiral into darkness, we turn to face our shadows, that which is hidden, embracing mystery and uncertainty and holding that which we do not know along with that which we do. It is also a time of celebrating the second harvest, honoring the land that supports us, including the Indigenous and colonial histories of the land as well as its ancestral peoples.

Astrologically, as the Sun ingresses into Libra, it moves into mutual reception with Venus in Leo, providing for one another as they journey through the sky. However, this may not be an easy journey for the Sun. Libra is the sign of its fall or depression as the force of its light diminishes. While in Libra, the Sun will move through an opposition with Mars in Aries and a square with Pluto and Saturn in Capricorn. Libra seeks harmony, cooperation, solidarity, and coalitions seeking justice together—but conflict and antagonism may feel unavoidable.

When responding to conflict, adrienne maree brown offers three questions that can help us grow:
-Listen with “why?” as a framework
-Ask yourself/selves: what can I/we learn from this
-How can my real-time actions contribute to transforming this situation (versus making it worse)?
She writes, “… if we want to create a world in which conflict and trauma aren’t the center of our collective existence, we have to practice something new, ask different questions, access again our curiosity about each other as a species.”
-from “What Is/Isn’t Transformative Justice” in Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from the Transformative Justice Movement

As we move into this new season, may we celebrate that which we are harvesting, move courageously into uncertainty, mystery, and shadow, and seek balance through building resilient strategies for navigating conflict that move us all toward justice.

Cards from Dust II Onyx Tarot by Courtney Alexander