FALL EQUINOX - TIME TO BALANCE

Fall Equinox: The sun enters Libra, an astrology sign symbolized by balanced scales. There is equal day and equal night all over our planet. The seasonal wheel turns as we begin the journey to darkness. In preparation for the winter cycle, balance your body, mind, and spirit. Avoid catching colds or flu by taking better care of yourself. Be sure to rest and sleep.  When in doubt, take a nap!

A fall cleaning as well as a spring-cleaning can create better harmony.  Clean with mindful intention of transformation. Cleaning up and removing clutter is one of the key foundations to balance. The first step is your entryway. Pretend that you are a guest entering your home (or office) for the first time. What do you see? What do you smell? What do you hear? And most importantly, how do you feel?

Try a fall equinox exercise. Remove EVERYTHING away from your front entryway and door. Move outdoor furniture that blocks the stairs or porches. Make sure your front steps and entryway are swept and washed clean. And wash the front door. I recommend washing with a pine-scented cleaning solution, then finalize the cleansing with a salt water rinse.   While cleaning, pray that peaceful people and good opportunities enter through your front door.

Sense the breath of the Goddess in all things. She is the vital life force in all creation. Talk to plants as though they understand you. Clip back sidewalk plants that block a clear passage to your front door. Recycle dying plants to the mulch pile. Replace light bulbs with higher wattage bulbs, especially if your entry feels dingy. If a broken light fixture needs new glass over the bulb, now is an auspicious time to purchase a new fixture.

Did equinox magic already lose its appeal? You want magic, not MORE HOUSEWORK. Sorry. Cleanliness is next to Goddessliness, and the biggest transformation of an environment occurs when it is cleaned up. The healing is in the doing. Does your front door creak so loudly when opened that it sounds like a sound effect from a horror film? Take a bottle of vegetable oil from your kitchen cabinet and drip a few drops of oil into the door hinges. Is your front door decorated with dried-flower wreaths? If it is gray, dusty, and lifeless, removed it. Are herbs left hanging around for months - or years - collecting dust? Remove the dried eucalyptus that lost its scent years ago. The dusty potpourri and the grayed baby-breath clusters can go too. Change may not always be easy. However, to create a harmonious environment, some things must change. You must face your fears and do it.

When you are done, look at the clutter-free and cleaned entryway. How does it feel? It feels three times larger! Keep looking and feeling. Really look. Re-hang the mailbox if it is hanging precariously on one nail. Catch the spiders, release them elsewhere, and then sweep out all cobwebs. Other insects living there? They too must move.

Before you replace any of the old porch junk, scrutinize it carefully as if you were a first-time guest. Has that welcome mat worn out its welcome? This is not the place for a cat litter box or recycling bins. Do not re-hang hanging plants. Heavy hanging objects do not feel safe, especially to a child. Hanging droopy plants, such as spider plants, can cause winter depression.

Wind chimes can liven up your entrance. The soft tinkling sounds from a wind chime are uplifting and inspiring. On a large porch, the sounds from a wind chime slow down energy that would otherwise move in a straight line right pass your front door. You might prefer metal wind chimes because chimes made of bamboo, wood, glass, ceramic, tile, or shell often make a flat clacking noise. When you select a wind chime, listen to its sound before you hang it. Be sure that it makes a sound that you enjoy hearing.  Blessed be.