Folks gather to celebrate the autumn Solstice

A group of Sisters folk gathered to commemorate the changing of the seasons last Friday evening, September 21, at the Sisters Community Garden. The garden proved a perfect setting for the Autumn Equinox ceremony, hosted by ordained Spiritual Humanist minister Terri Daniel.

Participants experienced the symbolic harvesting of personal goals and intentions at the time of the autumn equinox, that short 24-hour span when night and day are nearly the same length.

"Human beings have been acknowledging the changing of the seasons since the first human being felt the cold or saw the green come up in spring," said Daniel, pointing out the importance of commemorating the changing of the cycles.

Sisters resident Kelsey Collins, who although an ordained Unitarian minister has not practiced with the church since 1972, assisted Daniel in officiating at Friday's ceremony. Collins told The Nugget that the ceremony provided an opportunity for individuals to actively involve themselves in ritual.

"Ritual is extraordinarily important for us. We do ritual all of the time without really knowing it," Collins said.

As the ceremony unfolded, participants standing in a circle turned to face the east. Daniel spoke of the element of air.

"Air represents openness and breath, communication of the heart and purity of the mind and body," she said reminding the group that from the east comes the gift of a new beginning each day.

As attendees moved to face south, the element of fire was remembered.

"Fire represents energy, passion, creativity and the warmth of loving relationships. From the fire we generate light which we share with one another in even the darkest of times," said Collins.

As the group turned to absorb energy from the west, the element of water was called to mind.

"Water represents our intuition, our connection with spirit, our open heart and feelings and our capacity to feel emotion and to merge with one another in love," said Daniel.

Pivoting to gaze to the north, the audience brought the element of the earth to the forefront.

"Earth represents sustenance, fertility and security. The earth feeds us and enriches us and helps us build stable homes to which we can always return," said Collins.

Participants were asked to either verbally or silently cleanse anything they wanted to release from themselves as a form of harvest. In contrast, they could create or manifest anything they wanted to bring to themselves.

Symbolically each attendee was given the opportunity to release anything by which he or she felt burdened or oppressed.

"If there is something that you have that you really want to let go of, you can write it down on a piece of paper, and we'll throw it in the pot and burn it. That sort of sends the energy back to the light," Daniel said.