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days depending on the year. The autumnal equinox occurs when the sun
crosses the equator on its apparent journey southward, and we experience a
day and a night that are of equal duration. Up until Harvest Home, the
hours of daylight have been greater than the hours from dusk to dawn.
But from now on, the reverse holds true. Astrologers know this as the date
on which the sun enters the sign of Libra, the Balance (an appropriate
symbol of a balanced day and night). This year (1988) it will occur at 2:29
pm CDT on September 22nd.
However, since most European peasants were not accomplished at calculating
the exact date of the Equinox, they celebrated the event on a fixed
calendar date, September 25th, a holiday the Medieval Church Christianized
under the name of 'Michaelmas', the feast of the Archangel Michael. (One
wonders if, at some point, the R.C. Church contemplated assigning the four
quarter days of the year to the four Archangels, just as they assigned
the four cross-quarter days to the four gospel-writers. Further evidence
for this may be seen in the fact that there was a brief flirtation with
calling the Vernal Equinox 'Gabrielmas', ostensibly to commemorate the angel
Gabriel's announcement to Mary on Lady Day.) Again, it must be
remembered that the Celts reckoned their days from sundown to sundown,
so the September 25th festivities actually begin on the previous sundown
(our September 24th).
Although our Pagan ancestors probably celebrated Harvest Home on
September 25th, modern Witches and Pagans, with their desk-top
computers for making finer calculations, seem to prefer the actual equinox
point, beginning the celebration on its eve (this year, sunset on September
21st).
Mythically, this is the day of the year when the god of light is defeated by
his twin and alter-ego, the god of darkness. It is the time of the year
when night conquers day. And as I have recently shown in my seasonal
reconstruction of the Welsh myth of Blodeuwedd, the Autumnal Equinox is
the only day of the whole year when Llew (light) is vulnerable and it is
possible to defeat him. Llew now stands on the balance (Libra/autumnal
equinox), with one foot on the cauldron (Cancer/summer solstice) and his
other foot on the goat (Capricorn/winter solstice). Thus he is betrayed by
Blodeuwedd, the Virgin (Virgo) and transformed into an Eagle (Scorpio).
Two things are now likely to occur mythically, in rapid succession. Having
defeated Llew, Goronwy (darkness) now takes over Llew's functions, both as
lover to Blodeuwedd, the Goddess, and as King of our own world. Although
Goronwy, the Horned King, now sits on Llew's throne and begins his rule
immediately, his formal coronation will not be for another six weeks, occurring
at Samhain (Halloween) or the beginning of Winter, when he becomes the
Winter Lord, the Dark King, Lord of Misrule. Goronwy's other function has
more immediate results, however. He mates with the virgin goddess, and
Blodeuwedd conceives, and will give birth -- nine months later (at the
Summer Solstice) -- to Goronwy's son, who is really another incarnation of
himself, the Dark Child.
Llew's sacrificial death at Harvest Home also identifies him with John
Barleycorn, spirit of the fields. Thus, Llew represents not only the sun's
power, but also the sun's life trapped and crystallized in the corn.
Often this corn spirit was believed to reside most especially in the last
sheaf or shock harvested, which was dressed in fine clothes, or woven into a
wicker-like man-shaped form. This effigy was then cut and carried from
the field, and usually burned, amidst much rejoicing. So one may see
Blodeuwedd and Goronwy in a new guise, not as conspirators who murder
their king, but as kindly farmers who harvest the crop which they had
planted and so lovingly cared for. And yet, anyone who knows the old ballad of
John Barleycorn knows that we have not heard the last of him.
They let him stand till midsummer's day,
Till he looked both pale and wan,
And little Sir John's grown a long, long beard
And so become a man...
Incidentally, this annual mock sacrifice of a large wicker-work figure
(representing the vegetation spirit) may have been the origin of the
misconception that Druids made human sacrifices. This charge was first
made by Julius Caesar (who may not have had the most unbiased of
motives), and has been re-stated many times since. However, as has often
been pointed out, the only historians besides Caesar who make this
accusation are those who have read Caesar. And in fact, upon reading
Caesar's 'Gallic Wars' closely, one discovers that Caesar never claims to
have actually witnessed such a sacrifice. Nor does he claim to have talked
to anyone else who did. In fact, there is not one single eyewitness account
of a human sacrifice performed by Druids in all of history!
Nor is there any archeological evidence to support the charge. If, for
example, human sacrifices had been performed at the same ritual sites
year after year, there would be physical traces. Yet there is not a scrap.
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