Feathers and Flowers: A fine balance

Monday, September 22, 2014

A fine balance

September sunlight map
Die.net

The autumn equinox occurs at 7:29 pm in Seattle, and there will be approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness everywhere on Planet Earth today. We're headed into the dark time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, but for now day and night are in perfect, healthful balance.

For many people, that New Year feeling of expectation starts in the fall, not January. The fall equinox reminds us to balance the light and dark spirit in ourselves. As the trees slowly change color and leaves fall to the ground, it's also a time for letting go of the things that have burdened us. The flowers of summer are vanishing, and autumn is a reminder of the fleeting nature of all living things and experience.

Summer departed Seattle this weekend with two more incredibly lovely days. I spent time working outside in the warm (almost hot) sun getting things done before the rain comes later this week. I cut the big, scratchy clematis vines off the wire trellis with my hand pruner and stuffed the tangled mess into the compost bin, just like I've done for the last 25 years. It's one of my least favorite fall jobs, but as I was working, a thought entered my mind: This might be the last time I ever do this. We take so much for granted, including the assumption we will be here this time next year doing exactly the same things. Suddenly that old task was pleasurable on a quiet, sunny afternoon.

Fall has inspired so much beautiful art I don't know where to start, except with one of my favorite painters, John Waterhouse (1849-1917). The Victorian Pre-Raphelite artists liked using vivid colors for their mythical and literary subjects, although that doesn't come across in the muted reproductions on coffee mugs and posters. In particular, Waterhouse liked the warm color palette of autumn: gold, bronze, burgundy, brown, deep green, russet, grey. He has appeared on the blog before, but here's a few more examples.