Happy 2012 Autumnal Equinox!
The exact time for the event is September 22, 10:49 A.M. EDT., but its acceptable to go ahead and start celebrating it now if you cant wait. In case you didn't know, there are 2 equinox's each year, 1 in the spring and 1 in the fall. The word equinox comes from the Latin words for "equal night" and is used to denote the time of year when the length of darkness is roughly the same as the length of daylight in a day and occurs when the sun crosses the celestial equator. Day and night were thought to be in balance hence the balancing scales in the astrological sign Libra observed from September 23 to October 23 each year. After tomorrow, the days will start to get shorter than the nights. The length of each day will get shorter and shorter and night will get longer and longer until the Winter Solstice when the Sun was thought to have been "born again" and the days start getting longer etc...and the cycle repeats itself.
The Autumnal Equinox was a very important to our agrarian ancestors. Not so much to us anymore.
Some Christian denominations still celebrate Michaelmas in honor of the Old Testament Archangel Michael this time of year. Michaelmas falls on September 29 and the date of the celebration is tied to the first full moon nearest the fall equinox. That full moon is also known as the harvest moon.
The Bible story about the Archangel Michael battling the serpent (the devil) is no doubt an allegory concerning the constellations Hercules and Draco. Draco is represented by a serpent dragon and Hercules with one foot on it.
Have a good 2012 Autumnal Equinox!
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