In addition to delving deeper into the energies of the sacred Mayan calendar, I’ve recently rekindled my longtime passion for astrology. Today is the autumnal equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere and Sunday is the new (dark) moon.
What does that mean? Summer has officially turned to fall. The day and night are equal today, and now the night will gradually get longer and longer until the winter solstice in December. Time to reconnect with darkness, shadow, and nighttime. I’m grateful that my life is such that I wake up with the sun (or before) and go to sleep early, at least when I’m at home at the lake.
It’s Libra season (officially tomorrow), so balance, truth and justice come into the spotlight. Mercury is retrograde, which tends to cause some confusion around communication, travel and technology—inviting us to let go of control, hold onto plans loosely and surrender to peace, joy and liberation in each moment.
I feel like I’m on the edge, about to leap across an unknown puddle into a new faith and an upgraded lifestyle. Leading more small group retreats, both here in Guatemala and internationally. Writing my second memoir. Still editing, translating and consulting for a steady income. Evolving my daughter’s “wildschooling” education as she moves into her upper elementary years and beyond.
I’m certainly about to enter a portal, literally. Next week, we’ll fly to the U.S. We’ll spend a week at my parents’ house, celebrating my dad’s 70th birthday. Especially grateful for his life and health, as he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the spring but it was caught early and is treatable. Then, for three weeks in October, we’ll transport ourselves to another dimension: New York City and rural New England in the fall. Although I’ve been to this region several times, my partner and daughter never have. And I’ve only been up there in the spring and winter, never the autumn season.
On the one hand, I’m excited to see the brilliantly colored leaves falling and reconnect with several dear old friends on our trip. I’m planning to take an actual vacation for those three weeks. As in no work. Just play. Freeeeeedom! As a freelancer, I rarely take vacations but my general work-life balance is in a serene and blissful state at this stage of my life. So this will be my first three-week vacation in several years.
On the other hand, I am feeling anxious and a bit concerned about spending three-plus months in my home country… something I haven’t done in over a decade. (Usually, my trips which occur every 1-1.5 years have been 3-6 weeks long.) Having lived in Guatemala for over 13 years (10 of which have been at Lake Atitlan), my lifestyle now is so drastically different than the typical US lifestyle (and my former one). So my intention is to let go of worry and simply be grateful for the ability and opportunity to travel and spend Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas with my folks. My intention is to maintain my spiritual practices as a daily anchor, to read and write lots, to consume mindfully, to laugh plenty and to live as fully as possible with compassion, without judgment, in each moment.
Happy Equinox! Here’s to a fantastic FALL.
Yoga Freedom 