Celebration of the autumnal equinox
Have you hugged your tree today? If not, there’s still time. Veteran peace and environmental activist Jerry Rubin is calling on people everywhere to celebrate this year’s autumnal equinox by hugging a tree. To get the ball rolling, he’s leading a mass tree hug at noon Tuesday at the Children’s Tree of Life in Palisades Park, near the Santa Monica Pier. The famously liberal city’s mayor, Ken Genser, is endorsing the event. Rubin says hugging trees not only relieves stress but also takes back the title “tree hugger” from those who would make it a term of ridicule. He says it also reminds people of the importance of trees to the environment.
Pagans believe that the fall season began with Lammas on Aug. 1, along with the First Harvest, as we have adopted the ancient Celtic calendar. Mabon is the Pagan’s Thanksgiving, a time to appreciate and give thanks to the Goddess for her bounty and to share in the joys of the harvest at hand, and reap the fruits of our labor and lessons, both crops and experiences. Mabon has become a time of celebration of reflection, grace, and balance. We may hold a seasonal rite at our “beautiful corners,” giving thanks for home and finance, school and knowledge, careers and accomplishment, and balance and relationships.
And as we harvested our actions at Lammas, now at Mabon it is time when Pagans prune non-essential activities, from our lives, gather our energies, and turn our attention inward, as we would prepare our shelters for winter. It is a time to finish old business as we make ready for a period of rest, relaxation, and reflection.
Tags: autumnal equinox, Environmentalism, Equinox, Jerry Rubin, Lammas, Mabon, Pagan, Religion and Spirituality, Santa Monica California
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
