Autumnal Equinox

The seasons are marked by equinoxes and solstices.

Both happen twice per year.
Vernal Equinox in the Spring
Summer Solstice in the Summer
Autumnal Equinox in the Fall
Hibernal Solstice in the Winter

Equinox is Latin for “equal night.”
The length of daylight is equal to the length of darkness.

Just as a Solstice marks the apex of light in the Summer
and darkness in the Winter,
Equinoxes mark turning points for Spring and Fall.

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, Monday, September 22, 2025 marks the first official day of Fall.
The equinox is the moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator (11:19 am PST). At this instant, Earth’s rotational axis is neither tilted away from nor towards the Sun.

Days proceeding the Autumnal Equinox begin to shorten.
Shadows lengthen.

The Sun is our lifeforce.
Every living being on this planet needs it to live.
It gives us light.
It gives us warmth.
It gives us energy.

And it controls how we experience life on this planet.
Hence the seasons.

August in the desert was hot. In Twentynine Palms, CA the highest temperature in 2025 was 112º.
For weeks, 110º was the stand still. But its been trending downward since about September 10.

The creatures that live in the desert are the epitome of resilience. They have evolved with habits that conserve every drop of water while the heat desiccates and dehydrates every surface, every material exposed to the elements. Despite such conditions, it is still possible to green the desert.

On September 1st, I planted my first vegetable garden for my home in the desert. About two weeks prior, I took a class in town with Charla and Bill Shamhart at Rainbow Stew in Yucca Valley, CA. They’ve been growing in the Hi-Desert for over 30 years and are happy to pass down the knowledge. Saturday, September 20, 2025, I transplanted beets, bok choy, cilantro, lettuce, kale, radish, and swiss chard into larger buckets. Charla also gave me multiplying onions, tomatillos, tomatoes, mint, and basil. I have no idea how this will go with the critters that live nearby but I’m hoping to report a bounty later in the Fall.

Not only are we experiencing a transit of seasons, we have a confluence of celestial events that influence life here on Earth.

Autumnal Equinox
Partial Solar Eclipse
New Moon
Welcoming the constellation of Libra, the scales of justice.

On the collective scale, we are already witnessing dark days.
It is imperative that we do not perpetuate and recycle the problems. The more we circulate the problems, the more we empower them. Rather, we must focus on solutions.

We can create safe places for the marginalized to exist.
We can create new opportunities.
We can unite, collaborate, and create communities independent of governing bodies.
We are many. They are few.