Monday, September 23, 2019

Autumnal Equinox 2019!

Happy Autumnal Equinox 2019!
You are the only true expert on your journey to enlightenment!


Our senses tell us summer has come to an end in the northern half of the world. The Autumn Equinox arrives this year on Monday, September 23, 2019. This officially marks the beginning of fall in the Northern Hemisphere and spring in the Southern Hemisphere. 
 
The word "equinox" comes from the Latin and means "equal night." Essentially, two times a year the day and night are equal (12 hours).  The Autumn Equinox represents a time of harvest and contractive force within the earth to prepare for the colder months ahead. It is a time to harvest the efforts of your intentions for your life path that you set earlier in the year. 

 

The changing seasons are key points in nature: the Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice and Autumnal Equinox. Just as the seasons move through these cycles, so too does the human spirit evolve ever deeper towards a state of enlightenment.  

 

From a spiritual perspective, fall is a time to acknowledge abundance. It is a time to recognize there is abundance all around, and to acknowledge abundance as our natural state of being.
 

Ways to Celebrate:
 
There are many ways to celebrate the significance of this time of year. Here are a few suggestions: Read more by clicking here!


Elevate Your Consciousness!

Mary Jane




The Tree of Oneness: Most people are used to seeing trees that grow from the ground up, but yogis talk about a tree that grows upside down.

There is an eternal tree called Ashvattha, which has its roots above and branches below. The oldest reference to this tree appears in the Rig Veda, a text composed in India over 5,000 years ago. Indias' ancient sages literally placed the tree in the sky. It is said to be located in the tail of the celestial scorpion which the yogis call Mula, "the root." This is the root in heaven out of which the world tree grows. Ashvattha, the yogis' name for the World Tree, actually means "where the horse is stationed." The horse in the sky is the constellation Pegasus. Pegasus eternally gallops around the North Celestial Pole. The pole is one point in the northern sky that never moves. Everything else in heaven revolves around it. It represents the Spirit, which lies outside of time and change. From a point of complete stillness, our inner spirit observes everything going on around us, just like a motionless axle in a spinning wheel.

In yoga, the horse symbolizes prana, the breath of life. The breath is yoked to the mind the way Pegasus is yoked to the North Star. Yogis know how to slow and finally stop the breath, merging their awareness in the unmoving center of their being. This is a state of samadhi, the deepest level of meditation. In deep meditation you start to climb the tree. The Ashvattah inside you is your spine. The mystical root is at the top of your head or Sahasrara chakra, the center where Divine consciousness resides.

The Autumnal Equinox is a time to harvest your intentions placed upon the fertile ground of your mind. This is the time  of year to move inward and seek the wisdom of higher consciousness. It is a time to explore the roots of the Ashvattah tree that lies within. This tree spawns new roots from the ONE to create abundance all around.

Botanists call the Ashvattah tree, Ficus Religiosa. In India today, it is called the Bodhi tree. Sitting under it, Buddha became enlightened. It is a type of tree that grows up from the ground, but then sends more roots downward from its branches. When these shoots reach the earth they re-root themselves and form a new tree. In other words, every tree in the forest actually is the first tree.Although everything in the universe appears to be separate, in reality all things share the eternal source. 






This Autumnal Equinox why not celebrate the abundance all around you with a Leaf Boat Ceremony!
You can prepare your leaf boats with plants from mother nature and fill them with the seeds of your intentions. Once you have filled your boats (7), the loshu number representing the trigram associated with the Autumnal Equinox, set them off to sail into the waters upon the earth.

The trigram Dui, represents creativity like that of an innocent child. The ability to create comes from your higher self.  Tapping into this state of mind requires stillness, quietude, and internal consciousness - all qualities of the contractive force of metal in combination with the movement of change, or the dosha vatta. Watch my video here about the Leaf Boats and watch them sail away in this video!  


Blessings!
Mary Jane - Feng Shui Yoga Girl - www.fengshuiyoganj.com

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