Captivating Cocktail Conversationalist
Autumn is my favorite time of year. Being a color fanatic, I love the blaze of red, gold, orange, and umber.
By the time you read this the first day of autumn or the Autumnal Equinox—September 23; 2:50 AM; EDT—is history.
I’m intrigued by the equinox’s mystery. Its facts and folklore are fascinating. If you ever compete on Jeopardy they might vault you to Tournament of Champions. Jeopardy aside, they’ll at least, make you a captivating cocktail conversationalist.
Spoiler alert: This is a LONG post, but I can’t resist. Here goes:
1. The word “equinox” comes from Latin aequus, meaning “equal” and nox, meaning “night.” Day and night are roughly equal in length on the equinox.
2. The equinox happens at the very same moment across the entire Earth—a cool stand-alone factoid.
3. At the precise moment of the equinox the Earth angles perfectly sideways to the Sun. And the Sun rises and sets exactly in the east and west. It’s a time of precision and an opportunity to correctly position your sundial. You know—that essential task you keep putting off.
4. The full moon occurring nearest to the autumnal equinox is called the “Harvest Moon.” Surprise. Surprise. It has to do with farming. The moon rises around sunset for several nights in a row providing farmers with enough light to finish harvesting before the hard-killing frosts set in.
5. The Autumnal Equinox marks the time when the Greek goddess, Persephone, returns to the underworld. Persephone is the daughter of Demeter—the harvest goddess. Persephone was kidnapped by Hades and forced to marry him. Eventually Persephone fell in love with Hades, and they built an empire that they ruled as equals—get it?
6. The Mayans build a giant pyramid in Mexico. On the equinox, a giant snake crafted with lights appears to slither down the steps.
7. As for the age-old notion that you can balance an egg on end only during the equinox—well, that’s ridiculous. But who wants to balance an egg on end anyway?
8. Psychologists diagnose those who take the equinox seriously as “EOPs”—equinox-obsessive personalities. Humm???
9. Well, maybe being an EOP isn’t that bad? Allow me to throw out an idea: Start an Autumnal Equinox ritual by lighting a candle to acknowledge the light within the dark. Then write down all you are grateful for—blessings and lessons learned. Next create a space dedicated to your new intentions. Adorn your space with bright colors, plants, and herbs that promote growth and healing. Allow them to warm your heart and mind during the dark winter months. You are special. Acknowledge YOU.
Autumnal Equinox
Judith Kolva, Artist
