As a Vedic astrologer I always pay close attention to what is happening in the world, and with the planets. I observe astronomical events, analysing their impact on man and nature. Today is a significant day – the September Equinox, one of two days in the year when the tilt of the Earth’s axis is inclined neither towards nor away from the sun. The sun shines directly on the equator, night and day are equal.

Diagram showing Earth’s positions at the equinoxes and solstices

Around the same time the planet Mercury is experiencing what is referred to in astrology as a cardinal T-Square, due to the position of Pluto, Saturn and Mars. The energies of this configuration are heightened today. Also, the lunar nodes known as Rahu and Ketu are moving into Taurus and Scorpio. These nodes, also referred to as Dragons Head and Dragons Tail, indicate major changes of energy.

Our ancestors understood better than us the significance of these astronomical events, and many cultures celebrated the September Equinox. Having completed our ancestor prayer “Pitru Paksha”- here in India, its interesting to see that Japan honours the ancestors for a seven-day period coinciding with the equinox. All over the world you will find extraordinary structures that are aligned to follow the sun’s progress.

 

 

At the main pyramid at Chichen, Itza, Mexico, for example, an enormous “snake of light” slithers down the stairs at the exact moment the sun shines directly on the equator. Very advanced astronomical calculations had to be used to place the stairs in such a precise location.

 

 

 

At Machu Picchu in Peru, the Intihuatana Stone tracks the sun all year round, precisely indicating the dates of equinoxes and other celestial events. The Intihuatana Stone translates as “place to tie up the sun”

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Ireland, the megalithic tomb at Newgrange was constructed in such a way that as the sun rises on the mornings of the Equinoxes and Solstices, the passageways and chambers are completely illuminated.

 

 

 

 

 

These ancient people understood in whatever way that everything in the cosmos is connected.

These days so many people feel disconnected from nature, and this disconnects us from our own nature. I would suggest that this is a good time for internal reflection. This equinox coincides with the changing season – to autumn or to spring, depending on where you live in the world. Autumn is a time for harvest, for the gathering of what has been sown before nature beds down to sleep for the dark days of winter. Spring is a time of promise, the promise of light and new growth.

I always say man and nature cannot be separated. All of life is an interconnected web, woven together by the five elements of nature- earth, water, fire, air, and ether. What is unfolding in nature is unfolding in you. Reflect on the seeds you have sown this year and what is to be harvested, or, if it is a spring equinox for you, ask what seeds you wish to plant, and how you will cultivate them over the next season.