The Gifts of the Equinox

Dear Friends,

Happy Equinox! As I am writing this, we are celebrating the official arrival of autumn, as today is the autumnal equinox. It is also the first day in a long time that it’s been cool enough to think fall might actually arrive at the farm. The weather ‘heat dome’ that has been sitting over us for what seems like months is finally moving on, and cooler weather arrives tomorrow. For the first time in ages, it will be below 90 degrees for days at a time.

Last weekend, about 13 Westsiders spent a few days in the mountains, at Elkmont in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Every year, at the time of the fall equinox, we hold our annual Spirit Quest camping retreat. It’s a time to commune with trees, take dips in the (cold!) creek, share meals, build fires, and talk about things that really matter in our lives. It’s a mix of summer camp fun and serious spiritual reflection.

Spirit Quest always invites me to reflect on something deeper myself. So here’s what I personally learned this year: things don’t have to go as planned to go ‘well.’ This year, some folks had to leave early, and others had to arrive late. The weather cooperated pretty well, but not perfectly. One of our fire circles got rained out, but we sat under a canopy and talked anyway. We managed to rig up—with massive creative collaboration—support for a tent that arrived without poles and that required ingenuity and a collection of other equipment to make it work. And each individual, as always, had very unique needs and wishes for our time together.

I am a person who likes my plans to work out, to feel that the perfect arc of ‘beginning, middle and end’ are carried out with perfect timing and impeccable (impossible) precision. But that’s not life, is it?

Our weekend was wonderful, and perfect just as it was. But not necessarily as I might

have predicted or expected, when I started planning it many months ago.

How about you? Do you ever focus so much on the plan that you miss the unique experience right in front of you? Are you front-loaded with expectations, as I have a tendency to be, rather than ready to appreciate whatever comes?

The equinox is a time to allow more balance in our lives, as daylight and darkness become equal. This year, my commitment to the balance of the season is to expect less and appreciate more. I know I won’t do it perfectly, but I’m pretty sure I can do it well enough.

Happy Equinox, everyone.

Rev. Carol