Storetelling to re-member the Rhythm of the Seasons
Celebrating the seasons give us a peg on which to hang the moments of the year. They help to remind us to sometimes turn within, to reflect on all that has been and all that will come. The seasons give us Rhythm.
We live in a cyclic world, where with every ending, there is already a beginning, and at each beginning, something must come to an end. Nature is a continuing cycle of birth, growth, death and rebirth. When we learn to come to terms with her never-ending cycle of change, we are much better equipped to face the many changes that occur in our own lives.
It's in our blood to follow the seasons. Our ancestors, no matter from which land they came, new Nature as an intimate ally. They held the wisdom of both her nurture and cruelty. They knew how to move with her flow, and accept whatever she brought. As communities developed agriculture, they began to rely on Mama Earth and her seasons to send clear messages of best times to plant, harvest and when to rest. Working with the journey of the seasons is a lifestyle that adds depth and meaning beyond measure.
On the day of the Equinox (whether it be Autumn or Spring), the Earth’s poles are the same distance from the Sun. The Sun rises due east, sets due west. There are roughly 12 hrs of day and 12 hrs of night.
It is a time where day and night are equal in length so it can be a time to look at balance within yourself. Balancing at the Equinox means when winter does come, we will not be buried in the darkness, or when Summer comes we are not already exhausted before the intensity arrives.
Storetelling is a term I take from Barbara G. Walker. She explains, Storetelling as a mix of telling stories and accessing the store-keep of our Herstory.
And at the equinox, I love to re-member the herstore of Persephone. She is the wisdom of the Rhythm of Life; the flow of dark to light and on to dark again; the knowing that all things that live must come to an end, and will live another time.
The traditional story of Persephone involves rape and plunder, whereby Hades steals Persephone and forces her to stay with him. If we are working as Storetellers, the Hades/Persepehone version of the equinox is only one story that got in the way of an earlier version.
This is a clip from a much longer Deep Dive workshop I presented regarding Red Riding Hood. It tells the herstore of Kore/Persephone and the wisdom of the seasons.
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Enjoy,