Self Care Day 21: Sacred Space
Today marks the Fall Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. As a self care practice, I enjoy aligning myself with nature’s rhythms and cycles. At our transitional periods throughout the year, I create sacred spaces to recognize significant transitions. Both through building an altar and inviting myself to answer key seasonal questions, I give myself permission to acknowledge the passing seasons and take the time to reflect on where I have been.
Since 2007, I have used Ruth Barrett’s “Women’s Rites, Women’s Mysteries” as a guide for crafting ritual and creating sacred space. In her book, Barrett has this to say about the Fall Equinox,
“[In Autumn Equinox,] light and dark are balanced in equal length of day and night …Whereas Spring Equinox symbolically manifests the equinox’s equilibrium as an athlete poised for action, The Autumn Equinox’s theme is that of rest after labor. It is a time of rebalancing after intensive work. In earlier times the autumnal equinox marked the middle of the harvest season and began the intensive preparation for winter. (p. 207)”
In honoring Fall Equinox, she offers these questions:
1. What is my personal harvest?
2. What have I brought into manifestation this year?
3. What can I do to honor the generosity of the earth that sustains me?
4. How might I thank my loved ones and acquaintances who have supported my creativity this year?
5. How can I best acknowledge and celebrate myself for hard work completed this year?
Giving myself even 10 minutes at the altar space with these questions can be illuminating. Seeing what arises can offer me valuable insight into the focus and energy of this next season.
On Steph: Passionate about nourishment and self love, I am growing a body of work in self care. I love exploring tools, techniques, and practices for daily nourishment. Over the past ten years, I have been healing and finding joy through various modalities, including Brazilian dance, insight meditation, painting, SoulCollage®, Non-Violent Communication, morning pages, and spiritual study. I currently work as a non-profit program coordinator in Brooklyn, NY and live with my partner and fur-baby in Brooklyn. If you want to see more of my work, you can find more at: http://cosmiccowgirlsmagazine.com/author/stephcowling/
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