Is the Equinox celebrated in Taoism?

[blackstar212]

Is the autumnal equinox celebrated in Taoism? If so how is it celebrated and what does it signify?

 

Would it be considered a holiday?

Edited September 19, 2016 by blackstar212

[liminal_luke]

Is the autumnal equinox celebrated in Taoism? If so how is it celebrated and what does it signify?

 

Would it be considered a holiday?

 

I´m not sure if "celebrated" is the correct word (there might be traditional holiday merrymaking I´m not aware of), but the autumnal equinox is a special time energetically.  Much like the spring equinox, it´s a time when yin and yang come into greater balance on a cosmic scale.  This outward balance reverberates on a more personal level if a practitioner is able to tap into it, and it´s thus a good day for practice.  The solstices are similarly powerful.  

 

On the scale of the day we have sunset, sunrise, noon, and midnight -- also good times for practice for similar reasons.

 

Or so they tell me.

 

Liminal

[thelerner]

I'm finding lots of energy in the air lately.  Full moon and harvest time, might be astrological or might be deep in my genes. 

 

-Work hard, work long,

harvest, brine, can, dry, store

in order to survive the coming winter. 

 

Not doing any of that, I haven't been able to sleep much this week.  My libido seems a bit raised too, perhaps some old nature instinct planning for a spring litter. 

 

It's been pointed out that all cultures (who have winters) have important harvest holidays.  One reasons for this is because for thousands of generations, not everyone made it through the long dark hungry winters. 

[JohnC]

http://www.robertpeng.com/jieqi/jieqi.php?id=16

[Albion]

http://www.robertpeng.com/jieqi/jieqi.php?id=16

 

 

 

This is very interesting. In the Celtic way of reasoning (the four Celtic 'Fire Festivals') are November the 1st, [pronounced Sow-wen] "Summer's End" (The Celtic beginning of Winter). February the 1st (Imbloc) [pronounced Em-mulk] the time of the beginning of the lactation of the lambs.

 

Bealtinne, May 1st [ pronounced be-el tinna] meaning 'Bright Fire'. And lastly, Lughnasadh August 1st [pronounced Lew nessa] meaning the 'The (funeral) Games of Lugh', which was a Harvest festival, and also was the beginning of the end of the Sun's (Lugh's) Reign.

 

These are three days different from some of the Chinese Calendar, and if you think of where China is in relation to Northwestern Europe, those few days could easily account for the three day time difference!

 

Fascinating! 

 

Thanks so much for this!   I found it very enlightening!

 

Keep on Daoing!  Differently abled Daoist

Edited September 22, 2016 by DifferentlyAbledDaoist

[Taomeow]

I'm finding lots of energy in the air lately.  Full moon and harvest time, might be astrological or might be deep in my genes. 

 

-Work hard, work long,

harvest, brine, can, dry, store

in order to survive the coming winter. 

 

Not doing any of that, I haven't been able to sleep much this week.  My libido seems a bit raised too, perhaps some old nature instinct planning for a spring litter. 

 

It's been pointed out that all cultures (who have winters) have important harvest holidays.  One reasons for this is because for thousands of generations, not everyone made it through the long dark hungry winters. 

 

We had 400,000 years of plentiful winters, each lasting 70,000--80,000 years nonstop, before the blessings of civilization and sedentary agriculture made them dark and hungry indeed.  And that's in my genes.  

 

A couple of days ago I chanced to talk at length with a young woman from Mongolia now living in the States, whose family are fourth generation urban, so she laughed when I asked her if she grew up in a yurt among nomadic herdsmen.  She speaks several languages, was educated in Russia and is married to a Frenchman.  And yet she mentioned that about this time of the year her family in Ulan Bator, like many others, get their winter's supplies of meat and cheese from the nomads living in the yurts.  The arrangements are made in early summer -- city folk go to the steppe and specify to the herdsmen how much of this and that they will want to get in autumn, food and, for those who still make clothes and shoes as a hobby or trade, wool, sheepskins, leather and so on.  She told me that her mom is worried about her -- how are you going to survive the winter in California without organic meat?..  The daughter said, I buy it at Whole Foods.  For how much, mom inquired.  And, upon hearing the figure that blew her mind, was still worried that daughter might have to start eating what people should not eat and start losing her health.

[blackstar212]

http://www.robertpeng.com/jieqi/jieqi.php?id=16

very interesting thank you for posting.

[Teddy]

HAPPY EQUINOX EVERYONE!!!

 

Ceeeelebrate good times C'MON!

[Rocky Lionmouth]

We had 400,000 years of plentiful winters, each lasting 70,000--80,000 years nonstop, before the blessings of civilization and sedentary agriculture made them dark and hungry indeed.  And that's in my genes.  

 

A couple of days ago I chanced to talk at length with a young woman from Mongolia now living in the States, whose family are fourth generation urban, so she laughed when I asked her if she grew up in a yurt among nomadic herdsmen.  She speaks several languages, was educated in Russia and is married to a Frenchman.  And yet she mentioned that about this time of the year her family in Ulan Bator, like many others, get their winter's supplies of meat and cheese from the nomads living in the yurts.  The arrangements are made in early summer -- city folk go to the steppe and specify to the herdsmen how much of this and that they will want to get in autumn, food and, for those who still make clothes and shoes as a hobby or trade, wool, sheepskins, leather and so on.  She told me that her mom is worried about her -- how are you going to survive the winter in California without organic meat?..  The daughter said, I buy it at Whole Foods.  For how much, mom inquired.  And, upon hearing the figure that blew her mind, was still worried that daughter might have to start eating what people should not eat and start losing her health.

What? 70-80 thousand years of non-nonstop winters? Please, will you explain?

[Taomeow]

What? 70-80 thousand years of non-nonstop winters? Please, will you explain?

 

Yes, inquisitive Lion. 

 

There have been at least five major ice ages in the past 2.4 billion years -- the Huronian, Cryogenian, Andean-Saharan, Karoo Ice Age and the Quaternary glaciation. The latest started about 2.4 million years ago.  We aren't out of it, we are in the interglacial period, which started about 11,5 thousand years ago.  There were at least 17 cycles between glacial and interglacial periods of the current ice age. The glacial periods lasted longer than the interglacial periods -- all of them. 

 

The last glacial period began about 100,000 years ago and lasted until 25,000 years ago. Today we are in a warm interglacial period.  It's not business as usual, it's a break between glaciations.  At least that's how it's been going for the past 2.4 billion years.  None of the interglacials, if memory serves, were longer than the current one that is very close to its expiration date if the history of the past 2.4 million years on earth is any predictor of what might happen next. 

 

(Global warming folks, first off, this is actually good news, even though you may not relax right away just because I say so but trust me, if we don't do ourselves in sooner -- we have an assortment of options for doing ourselves in, so don't put all your eggs in that warming basket  --  you can relax a bit about this one.  We may warm up some and may be at it for a little while longer, who knows, and we may even be responsible for the last few decades of these eleven thousand years, who knows --  but nothing has ever stopped an ice age in the past 2.4 billion years and I wouldn't be holding my breath for that.  Winter is coming.

 

  And secondly, don't throw anything heavy, I'm just answering Rocky's question, I'm not getting into that debate in a thread I don't moderate, no way in hell.  Just so you know that if you start shooting me down, you'll be shooting at someone with her hands up in the air.)  

Edited September 23, 2016 by Taomeow

[sagebrush]

why not just be in it when its here?

 

global warming or no global warming

 

ice age.........glaciation

 

speculation.

 

eventually the sun comes out.

 

should I stay home from work to figure it out? :P

 

"hey-I can't send the estimate I promised today to do your exterior windows that needed done prior to the last glacial period."...

 

no I knew not much about solstice or equinox...too busy complaining about my life or solving insurmountable issues in my mind.

 

I do like the global perspective on climate change and weather and glaciation. had no idea of the five ice ages and names.

 

might be a good time to invest in fleece.

[Taomeow]

Taoists always pay attention to the change of the seasons, from micro to macro level -- from an hour to a cosmic aeon.  Within a year we discern 24 seasonal transitions, known as the Solar Terms.  Here's for 2016:

 

24 Solar Terms in 2016

Solar Terms

Date

Meaning

Lesser Cold (Xiao Han) Jan. 6th It is rather cold Greater Cold (Da Han) Jan. 20th The coldest moment of a year The Beginning of Spring (Li Chun) Feb. 4th Spring begins Rain Water (Yu Shui) Feb. 19th It begins to rain The Waking of Insects (Jing Zhe) Mar. 5th Hibernating animals come to sense The Spring Equinox (Chun Fen) Mar. 20th Day and night are equally long Pure Brightness (Qing Ming) Apr. 4th It is warm and bright Grain Rain (Gu Yu) Apr. 19th Rainfall is helpful to grain The Beginning of Summer (Li Xia) May 5th Summer begins Lesser Fullness of Grain (Xiao Man) May 20th Kernels plump Grain in Beard (Mang Zhong) Jun. 5th Wheat grows ripe The Summer Solstice (Xia Zhi) Jun. 21st It has the longest daytime and the shortest night of the year Lesser Heat (Xiao Shu) Jul. 7th Torridity comes Greater Heat (Da Shu) Jul. 22nd The hottest moment of a year The Beginning of Autumn (Li Qiu) Aug. 7th Autumn begins The End of Heat (Chu Shu) Aug. 23rd Heat hides White Dew (Bai Lu) Sep. 7th Dew curdles The Autumn Equinox (Qiu Fen) Sep. 22nd The mid of autumn Cold Dew (Han Lu) Oct. 8th Dew is very cold Frost's Descent (Shuang Jiang) Oct. 23rd Frost descends The Beginning of Winter (Li Dong) Nov. 7th Winter begins Lesser Snow (Xiao Xue) Nov. 22nd it begins to snow Greater Snow (Da Xue) Dec. 7th It snows heavily The Winter Solstice (Dong Zhi) Dec. 21st The shortest daytime and the longest night of a year

[dwai]

Don't know about celebrated, but when we cultivate we become more attuned to the energies of the equinoxes. I get irritable and quick to anger in spring and this autumn equinox has put me into a deep existential reverie (some might even call it depression). I couldn't figure out the reason why, and then it struck me -- it's the equinox. The energy is very powerful, and it is cleansing too. Makes lot of junk rise up from under the surface... 

[dwai]

  Winter is coming.

 

     

 

Edited September 23, 2016 by dwai

[Rocky Lionmouth]

Yes, inquisitive Lion. 

 

There have been at least five major ice ages in the past 2.4 billion years -- the Huronian, Cryogenian, Andean-Saharan, Karoo Ice Age and the Quaternary glaciation. The latest started about 2.4 million years ago.  We aren't out of it, we are in the interglacial period, which started about 11,5 thousand years ago.  There were at least 17 cycles between glacial and interglacial periods of the current ice age. The glacial periods lasted longer than the interglacial periods -- all of them. 

 

The last glacial period began about 100,000 years ago and lasted until 25,000 years ago. Today we are in a warm interglacial period.  It's not business as usual, it's a break between glaciations.  At least that's how it's been going for the past 2.4 billion years.  None of the interglacials, if memory serves, were longer than the current one that is very close to its expiration date if the history of the past 2.4 million years on earth is any predictor of what might happen next. 

 

(Global warming folks, first off, this is actually good news, even though you may not relax right away just because I say so but trust me, if we don't do ourselves in sooner -- we have an assortment of options for doing ourselves in, so don't put all your eggs in that warming basket  --  you can relax a bit about this one.  We may warm up some and may be at it for a little while longer, who knows, and we may even be responsible for the last few decades of these eleven thousand years, who knows --  but nothing has ever stopped an ice age in the past 2.4 billion years and I wouldn't be holding my breath for that.  Winter is coming.

 

  And secondly, don't throw anything heavy, I'm just answering Rocky's question, I'm not getting into that debate in a thread I don't moderate, no way in hell.  Just so you know that if you start shooting me down, you'll be shooting at someone with her hands up in the air.)

 

Thanks for the answer! I should have known, i've been staring at last Winters footprints daily (scandinavian plains). Curiosity sated this lion is now purring contentedly.

Nice of you to drop the 2016 list also, i'll be on the lookout for signs.

[Rocky Lionmouth]

     

 

I so hope that guy isn't showing up with the early frost...

[blue eyed snake]

Sep. 22nd The mid of autumn Cold Dew (Han Lu)

 

i had an awful dip that day and night

Edited September 26, 2016 by blue eyed snake

[blackstar212]

I was married on the equinox and had a second ceremony Saturday for most of the family who could not make it on Thursday the 22nd. I figured getting married on the equinox would be a good symbol of balance to start the marriage off.

[cold]

blackstar212 congrats and best wishes!

[Rocky Lionmouth]

Hear hear! All the best and auspicious days for you guys blackstar212

Edited September 27, 2016 by Rocky Lionmouth