A real autumn morning today. It reminded me a bit of Ted Hughes’ poem, ‘There came a day’ about the change from summer to autumn.
‘There came this day and he was autumn,
His mouth was wide
And red as sunset,
His tail was an icicle.’

Soon the equinox will be upon us. I’ve noticed the nights are drawing in for a few weeks now. In fact, if I don’t gather in the washing before six o’clock it’ll be damp right through. We are just entering into a period of great change, and some of you out in Blogland have already commented on the feeling ‘there is something in the air.’ There may well be, but I’d also like to offer a pagan explanation for this feeling of great change – and sometimes dread – that hovers over us this time of year.

To most pagans (and many occultists), the year is divided into four great tides:

The period after the Summer Solstice, but before the Autumn Equinox is the Reaping Tide. Its title speaks for itself really; it’s a period of hard work when we gather in our own harvests. In the modern era this may be in the form of examinations and their results, not just the more obvious gathering of crops or making sure we’ve made enough jam to see us through the winter.

But this period will come to its end in a little over a week. The tide is therefore turning, the Reaping Tide is coming to its end and we are about to enter the time known as the Resting Tide. This is a time for self examination, for thinking about what we want to achieve in the coming months. A time for recharging our batteries, really. And if we are aware of these tidal influences we can harness their energy at any particular point in the year. This helps us achieve more than we might otherwise have done.

Seeking the Green by Tylluan Penry, published soon by Capall Bann, for more info please watch this space!