Celtic Wheel Series #8 - Autumnal Equinox Reflections
The Celtic Wheel made its eighth and final turn on September 23rd last, to Autumnal Equinox, marking the mid-point between Summer and Winter solstices. The moon phase was also at mid-point between full illumination and new (dark). Despite mid-Autumn storms, the quality of stillness and calm just before 8am (when the wheel turned here), was palpable and very special. I felt as though I was in the eye of the storm - a brief but very welcome respite from the swirling chaos of life.
My desire to ‘do’ (masculine), was nicely balanced by my desire to ‘be’ (feminine) and the natural world seemed to reflect that balance, however briefly. These internal moments of poise and balance, where I am fully present and alive and at the same time non-existent in the physical realm as a separate entity, feel like precious gems to to be treasured.
The audio-guided practice below, is a simple way of finding somatic centre, through an exploration of mid-line, with gentle movement along the spine.
In some spiritual traditions and practices, energetically-speaking, the left side of the body is associated with feminine energy, while the right side is associated more with masculine energy. Similarly, the head, reaches towards the sky (masculine), while the feet connect with the earth (feminine). If any of this resonates with you, allow it to be in your awareness during the practice. If not, simply focus on the physical movement.
At the end of the practice, there is a short chant, which came to me earlier this year while preparing for the Tuatha Dé Danann Festival in Cork. My piece for the festival was themed around integration of the masculine and feminine energies in each of us and in the world. Inspired by the cosmic reflections of these energies (sun & moon), in the weeks leading up to it, I found myself singing as gaeilge (in Irish):
‘an ghealach mo chuisle - an ghrian mo chroí’ (moon, my pulse - sun, my heart).
This chant felt like a special gift from the cosmos and one that I was meant to share with others, so I offered it as part of my set on-stage. The men present chanted the first part (an ghealach mo chuisle) to women in the room. Women responded to men with the second part (an ghrian mo chroí). Then each chanted the whole to both masculine and feminine in themselves, as an act of integration. It was a very, very beautiful co-creation.
This movement is practised while lying on your back with your knees bent so that the soles of your bare feet connect with the surface on which you are lying. The more firm the surface, the more feedback you will receive from your body and therefore, the greater your perceptive awareness will be. A mat on the floor is ideal however, if this position is not an option for you, it is still possible to benefit by either doing as much as you can from whatever position is available to you e.g. a firm mattress, sitting on a chair or, alternatively, just imagining yourself doing the movement.
The wonderful thing about our very clever brains, which is well-documented (when it comes to somatic work at least), is that they cannot tell the differrence between real and imagined, so you can benefit simply by imagining, even if you don’t physically move :) Most important, is to be warm and comfortable, so you can focus on inner sensation rather than outer perception.
Whether you move or imaginary-move - enjoy the recording below! ♥