8 ~ Autumn Equinox, Gender Principle, & Right Concentration...
- Mim ~ Mystic Pathways
- Mar 21
- 6 min read
Autumn Equinox
The 8 Sabbaths, is an annual cycle of seasonal festivals consisting of the year's solstices and equinoxes and the midpoints (cross quarter days). They are marker points to help remind us we are part of nature, mother earth AND the cosmos. The 7 Universal Principles helps the thinking mind and the intuitive mind ground and create from a more conscious awareness of time, space, dimensions, consequences and how the cosmos works. The Noble Eightfold Path is a practical tool to implement and assist in living a healthier, happier life in the physical/material world of everyday living with a greater innerstanding of how to live your life.
There are many paths on the spiritual healing journey. No one way is wrong and no one is right. Hence Mystic Pathways.
An Initiate's Path has been my practice and will continue to be my practice with deep gratitude and heartfelt thanks for all the teachers, guides and initiates before me, with me and after me.
And So It Begins....
“Sabbaths” -
Also known as the Wheel of the Year, is not only a spiritual practice but a practical practice that connects you back in with nature, earth and the age old cycle of seasons.
The Wheel of the Year is an annual cycle of seasonal festivals, consisting of the year's main solar events and the midpoints between them. Solstices and Equinoxes are the main solar events and the midpoints or cross quarter days are the start of the seasons and begin midway point between the solstices and the equinoxes.
Please note these Sabbaths are relative to living in the southern hemisphere. For the norther hemisphere they need to be swapped.
As this is a natural calendar, the Wheel of the Year does not begin on the 1st January, but rather the beginning of Winter and flows from there. To find the exact date the solstices, equinoxes and cross quarter days will fall on, besides the traditional days, please check this link for details:
"The Kybalion.” -
“The Principles of Truth are Seven; he who knows these, understandingly, possesses the Magic Key before whose touch all the Doors of the Temple fly open” The Kybalion, is a study of the Hermetic Philosophy. “The lips of wisdom are closed, except to the ears of Understanding” – The Kybalion.
Studying and applying the 7 Principles of the Hermetic Philosophy is like comprehending the Universe at a sub atomic level. The Laws behind the Principles help us to walk through life forewarned. It is a guide on how to change at a fundamental level, not just a surface level. The alchemical process of change, the transmutation of matter.
The Seven Hermetic Principles, upon which the entire Hermetic Philosophy is based, are as follows: The Principle of Mentalism, The Principle of Correspondence, The Principle of Vibration, The Principle of Polarity, The Principle of Rhythm, The Principle of Cause and Effect, The Principle of Gender.
“The Noble Eightfold Path” -
The Buddhist Path for the Cessation of Suffering, and the fourth of The Four Noble Truths. The application guide for living a spiritually purposeful life. The Eightfold Path, although referred to as steps on a path, is not meant as a sequential learning process, but as eight aspects of life, all of which are to be integrated in every day life.
The Eightfold path consists of Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.
March 21st
Autumn Equinox / Alban Elfed / Mabon
Gender Principle
Right Concentration
This Sabbath:
Autumn Equinox / Alban Elfed / Mabon
Autumn Equinox, also known as Alban Elfed or Mabon, marks the peak of the Harvest season, ceremonially 21st/22nd March.
It is around this time that you can notice the change in the air – the sun has lost that intense glare, the day light feels softer, more diffused. The nights are cooling.
This is a turning point, when the hours of daylight are equal to the hours of nightlight. Equal balance, however ever so slowly going forth from this point the darkness will increase.
At this time of great balance and harvest, the Earth is offering up her last gifts of berries and nuts while the slanting rays of the sun slowly weaken, and its natures turn to shift from vibrancy to stillness. Where the leaves begin to redden and turn to gold and bronze.
Our ancestors, who were dependent upon the land, were aware this was the time of fruition of the previous year’s work, the culmination of the year’s endeavours to ensure enough food to see them through winter.
We now can use this same symbolism to take time to reflect on the harvest that is occurring on the land around us, and on all that has happened to us, all that we have gleaned or learnt during the previous year and what is yet to come as this final greater cycle completes itself on the 1st May, which signals the start of Winter and a new cycle begins.
Embrace the last rays of the summer / autumn sun, tickling your soul to come out and soak up mother earth and her gifts, before the internal nature of winter bestows us with her moods and gifts.
The Kybalion:
The Principle of Gender
“Gender is in everything: everything has its Masculine and feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes.” – The Kybalion.
No creation, physical, mental or spiritual, is possible without this principle. It is through this attraction of the masculine (positive) and the feminine (cathode) that life exists on all planes. Autumn Equinox is when we gather our seeds from harvest for next planting season. For without our seeds we having nothing to grow, no life.
And the Gender principle shows us that each and every living thing has the masculine and feminine within. And it is through the dance of the masculine, the I, the being, the giving and the ME, the feminine, receiving, creating, that creates new form, new ways, new life.
By understanding this principle from Autumn to Winter, we may use this as the dream seed going into the final stages of self-mastery this cycle. Sit with thoughts around this principle being the basis for entering the void of Winter, the clearing and the dreaming.Where we dream of the seeds we wish to plant come spring.
The Gender Principle not only creates the seed for seeding, seeds of life, but shows us that within us we can utilise the Gender Principle to manifest dreams seeds into reality by balancing both the masculine and feminine within.
The Noble Eightfold Path:
Right Concentration
The Buddhist Path for the Cessation of Suffering, and the fourth of The Four Noble Truths. The application guide for living a spiritually purposeful life. The Eightfold Path, although referred to as steps on a path, is not meant as a sequential learning process, but as eight aspects of life, all of which are to be integrated in every day life.
The Eightfold path consists of Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.
Seeing the 8 Rights as a guiding light along the path to self-mastery. As a tool to remind us to come back into balance, knowing and direction.
Right Concentration asks us to turn our mind to focus on an object, such as a flower, or a lit candle, or a concept such as loving compassion. This forms the next part of the meditation process.
Right concentration implies that we select worthy directions for the concentration of the mind, although everything in nature, beautiful and ugly, may be useful for concentration.
The benefits of Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration are significant as they teach the mind to see things, not as we are conditioned to seeing them, but as they really are. At the same time, they also lead to a feeling of calm and peace with the world.
By being in the moment and being able to concentrate effectively, a sense of joy in the moment is felt. Release from the control of past pains and future mind games takes us closer to freedom from suffering.
Weaving them all together...
In my own personal journey, I am now at my final reaping and harvesting season. I can see from the intentions and prayers I set at Samhuinn (1st May) at the beginning of this cycle how my life is reflecting the culmination of choices made and actions implemented, since setting those intentions and prayers.
And in times of quiet contemplation I can see that life is mirroring me back time and time again... the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly…and the beauty of this is, I get to see what can be refined (harvesting) and what can be defined (reaping).
And the seeds I will choose to gather this harvest, I will gather for my dreaming through Winter. Choosing that which I wish to keep growing, so that I may keep growing, learning and loving.
Blessings,
Mim WhiteWind
Links to further your study and knowledge:
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