EQUINOX
Photo: NASA
There is a secret hidden in the equinox.
The September Equinox 2026 occurred on:
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
at 8:05 p.m. EDT; 5:05 p.m. PDT,
marking the official astronomical start of fall and the end of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
Equinoxes occur when the Earth reaches a point in its orbit where the sun shines directly on the Equator, occurring twice each year, in March and September.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the September Equinox is called the Autumn Equinox.
In the Southern Hemisphere, it is called the Spring Equinox.
The secret in the equinox
We often think of the equinox as something that arrives separately in each location.
The secret is that the equinox occurs at one precise moment.
It is that same moment everywhere on Earth.
Our clocks may show different times.
In some places it may be morning; in others, evening. As the Northern Hemisphere welcomes autumn, the Southern Hemisphere enters spring.
Still, the astronomical event is one shared moment.
Think about that.
The Earth is us, all living creatures.
We of the human creature status, have made divisions. We have created borders. We have separated ourselves by nationality, religion, beliefs, and countless other distinctions.
Too often, and perhaps it is safe for me to say—most often—we turn those distinctions into us and them.
Then we might rank those that are us and those that are them.
If the powerful consider themselves “us”, while operating under the patriarchal order of society, they will also understand themselves as superior to “them, and quite easily turn “them” into “other”.
Then the powerful, who think of themselves as “us”, view the “other“ as disdainful, weak, sometimes even downright evil or the enemy.
The Earth whole, nevertheless, does not recognize those divisions.
It simply turns.
We all exist as one small planet and we all travel together through darkness and light.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Photo: Ricardo Gomez Angel/CCO
The equinox also reminds us of balance.
Light and darkness meet, yet at the moment of equinox, neither obliterates the other.
Is there a metaphor here?
I believe there is.
For those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, once the moment of the Autumn Equinox in September passes, nights grow longer and days grow shorter as daylight hours dwindle.
However, we know that the movement will eventually reverse.
As C:WED’s founder, Dr. Eleanor Rae, has stated in our early blogposts:
“The Earth is our teacher.”
With the equinox, we learn that darkness is never all there is.
Change is always coming.
We all belong to one Earth whole.
And we are traveling through this single moment all together.
Perhaps this is the equinox’s real secret, and its message.
Another pause
for a special remembrance of
the 800th anniversary
of the passing of a person who cared deeply about
the sacred balance in all of Creation:
St. Francis of Assisi
who died on
October 3, 1226
and whose feast day is celebrated on October 4.
In a papal letter released on January 10, 2026, Pope Leo XIV proclaimed a Franciscan Jubilee Year (the Special Year of St. Francis), marking the eight hundredth anniversary of his passing.
The pope pointed to Francis as a model for holiness and peace, saying:
“In this age, marked by so many seemingly interminable wars, by internal and social divisions that create mistrust and fear, Francis continues to speak. Not because he offers technical solutions, but because his life points to the authentic source of peace.”
The pope has invited all the Christian faithful to follow the example of St. Francis of Assisi, becoming models of holiness, of life, and constant witnesses of peace.
Global celebrations for Francis’ 800th anniversary have centered in Assisi, Italy, with events taking place there on October 3 and 4, drawing thousands of international pilgrims.
Parishes around the world, regardless of their patron saint, are displaying signs, hosting prayerful events, and celebrating Francis’ legacy of peace, humility, and care for Creation.
The Franciscan Jubilee Year, a sacred time of grace and spiritual renewal, continues through January 10, 2027.
Detail of Saint Francis from the Maestà di Assisi fresco by Cimabue (c. 1285–1288). Located in the Lower Church of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, Italy.
COMMENTS:
PREVIOUS POST: “The Rock We Didn’t Expect to Lose: Remembering Gloria Steinem,” Written by Anne Andersson, September 26, 2026
—I really liked the post! 👏👏👏 I liked how you put a link to Ms. Magazine letting us know that it is still available. And I liked the history of Free to Be You and Me!!! 🥰🥰🥰 —MA
—Dear Anne, you write so beautifully! Thank you for today’s ‘remembering’. I’m sure every woman reading this can identify with at least one incidence where she was ignored, put aside, passed over or had her name left off a minutes list of a meeting where she was the only woman present! Hopefully, we carry on doing what needs to be done because that fire within each of us is there from birth and we need to continue fanning those embers - ours and one another’s. —MVT
—Excellent summary! Thank you! —MT
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