Equinox: A Time of Celebration & Contemplation
BY SPRING FOREST QIGONG
Have you ever noticed that the leaves of autumn turn into the colors of the sun? As you see the life force drawn back into the roots of Mother Nature’s creations, so does your vital energy draw inward as you prepare for winter. Your body follows a rhythm that mirrors Mother Nature.
The Equinox is the perfect reflection of the Yin and Yang energies and their harmony. The almost equal balance of light and dark allows time for contemplating your life. It is a wonderful time for you to ask yourself, “What is working for me and what is not? How might I create a more perfect balance of Yin and Yang in my world?
What is important for me to change to find greater health and happiness?”
For those in the northern hemisphere, ever since the winter solstice Yang energy had been growing. It peaked at the summer solstice.
Now, during the autumn equinox, the Yin and Yang energies move back into balance for a brief moment before Yin energy becomes stronger and stronger.
Now is the time to go deeper into the supporting system of your body (your own Mother Earth) as you prepare for the harvesting of all the ideas and heart’s desires you planted in the spring that grew in their life over the summer months.
As Autumn’s powerful Metal energy is getting ready to enter, remember that now is the time to Refine, Modify, and Alter your garden of goals and dreams so you harvest more joy and freedom than ever before. If there is energy that needs adjusting, this is the time to add to or let go of so you can have the best harvest of your life. When you do, the Metal energy becomes a great carrier of your messages to the universe. You can be just like a mountain, reaching up to the heavens while also being rooted in the earth.
As you practice qigong each day to balance your energy, you will sense a deeper feeling – a desire for what is pure and often spiritual.
Moving into metal energy, you may feel you want to set the highest standards for yourself as well as honor and respect yourself and others. If energy is not balanced in the body and inner examination with unconditional love for self is not done, then sometimes people live in a sense of what could have been. When you move your energy each day, doing qigong, you balance the yin and yang energy within you to be in harmony with yourself, others and the seasons.
With the energies more balanced, your mind is clearer and your spirit falls into alignment with the universe.
For those in the southern parts of our planet, the Yang energy is emerging much more strongly now and preparing everything for the vigor and activity of summer. This is the time to act, bringing all the plans and thoughts that you stored up during the winter to their fruition. This is also when you want to move your body, engaging in nature and the life that is springing up around you!
Wherever you are in this Yin-Yang cycle, remember to make time to be in your master’s energy and focus on keeping yourself healthy and in balance by honoring your body, mind, and spirit.