By Fernanado Gorocica through Wikimedia Commons

The Fall Equinox is here. This means it is the first of fall. It is also the time of the Jewish New Year, when we strive to put our house and our relationships in order. There is something appealing to me about all holidays, but especially the ones that mark a true natural phenomenon such as the solstices and the new moons. At this point in the earth’s rotation around the sun, it is neither tilted toward nor away from the sun. This means that night and day are of equal length in both hemispheres. To complete the picture, later in the year, at the northern hemisphere’s Winter Solstice in December, the northern half of the earth will point away from the sun, hence the short days, long nights, and the cold. I believe in embracing these natural cycles.

So welcome fall and goodbye summer. The gardens are put to bed. It is the time of ingathering, of harvests into the barn and into the kitchen, and of children to school. In practical terms, for us, it is time for canning, drying and freezing. It is also time for the hunt. I am happy to say that Greg already got an elk and so we will have the finest meat for many months to come. There will be steaks, roasts, salami and jerky, more than we can eat, and so gift baskets this year will be contains some treats from the butcher.

It is already time to prepare for the winter holidays. This is the time to take all those creative energies and put them to good use. This is the time, in September, not December 1st, to start those homemade holiday gifts so they will actually get done. This is the time, now that kids are back in school, and vacations are concluded, to take that exercise, coding, photoshop, or violin class that you keep saying you’re going to take.

It is a time of social ingathering. In summer, we do many sporting and outdoors activities. Fall and winter have their own too, but for us, fall and winter are more likely the time when we have friends and family over for dinner in the the evening. It is social, and the art of conversation is rekindled.

So embrace fall, and cherish your memories of summer. The circle of the year starts all over again.