Contemplative Inquiry

Yesterday, 23 September, was the day of the Autumn Equinox where I live, when sunset was at 7.05 pm BST (British Summer Time). The picture above was taken about half an hour before sunset, at 6.24. The sky is still blue. The trees sit harmoniously together, the turning of the leaves evident in the one on the right. There is a balance of light and shade on the ground. A section of ancient wall is warmed by evening sunshine. I have a sense of harmony and tranquility.

The picture below, taken a little earlier, provides a hint of declining sun, creating a corridor of sunshine advancing towards me on the grass. I am reminded of the prehistoric structures created to receive the rays of light, usually at dawn rather than dusk, on solstices or equinoxes. Sunlight blesses and fructifies the land. Even in its decline, on the Llanthony Priory lawn, I feel blessed.

Below, there are two pictures of trees. In the first, the trees frame a salmon coloured sky as the unseen sun goes down, with a hint of the twilight that is now descending. The second picture shows a dark outline of trees with sunlight in the gaps – a balance of light and dark where the overall story is one of gentle darkening.

My final picture, below, was taken at 7.10 pm BST, the sunset moment on 21 September, in the Llanthony Priory grounds. It shows a waxing moon in a deeper twilight, a welcome contrast to the harsh, overlit spaces that I sometimes experienced at this time of day in the high summer. Autumn has always been my favourite season. It is good to have a modest record of the Equinox festival period (called Alban Elfed in modern Druidry) for this year.