Equinox Blessings
Courage to carry forward into the challenge
Dear meditators,
With momentary alignment of both sun and moon calendars, today is the first day of a new lunar month, and also a day in which dark and light are balanced on a grass tip at the autumnal equinox.
We are three sessions deep into our current set of Dharma Sessions, focused on How To Live in a Chaotic Climate. Powerful themes emerging are the need for community, honesty to accept what is, strengthening the capacity to lean bodily into uncertainty, and — preparing for next week’s session — mortality and death. Thus far there is something very familiar about this material: these ideas are all core to the buddhadharma, however it is refreshing, awkward and challenging to bring these themes into direct contact with the current unthinkable devastation assailing our planet, the more-than-human, and people.
And more personally, it’s been a time of ritual and shift for all three of us. To share a couple of glimpses:
This morning for the equinox I (Llew) offered a pair of silver earrings to the River Thames. Today marks twelve years of having lived close to its banks. Last week I gathered stones, petals, a twisting branch and clean mineral water to make a small river altar. On this altar the earrings rested over the weekend, before I took all of the pieces down onto the beach at low tide and gave them to the waters.
And here is a link to a reel Jesse made for the eclipse yesterday showing her own journey into the Black Mountains.
We hope that this turning point, and the Autumn it unfolds into, brings renewed capacity to live in the challenge, as well as a richness of humour, gentleness and delight.
As a final note, we have exciting news coming soon about the 2026 summer retreat, so do look out for that!
Much love, Llew and the Black Mountain Meditators
