For the Equinox

The Democratic Republic of the Congo lies at the earth’s equator, where day and night are equal in every season, each sunrise arriving at the same time for a new day. Sounds can be heard from miles away when living in the interior villages. Awakening with the dawn, I hear first one bird in the distance, and then another. And another. I hear brushing, sweeping, as women prepare the paths in front of their homes. I hear voices all around, from far away and in closer proximity, singing songs of greeting. I hear talking drums communicating between villages. The soundscape becomes one full sonic bath of dawn, villages of people and jungles of wildlife awakening and preparing for what will emerge in the hours of light.

Something is reassuring about the predictable and repetitive nature of this daily sunrise, and the equally reliable rhythms come sunset. There is an unquestionable trust at the equator that the day is 12 hours and the night is 12 hours, forever and always. The weaving of all intelligences, plants, animals, and people, all turn towards the sun as it rises. Turn away as it sets. Around and around.

It is to the equinox that I bow today as the earth’s equator passes through the geometric center of the sun. Daytime and nighttime are of an approximate equal duration all over the world. This could be a day of equanimity, if we can pause for just a moment and sense the natural symmetry the earth delivers us in this moment.  

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