Winter Finding
Charles Giles
I write this on September 23rd 2014, the Autumn Equinox. This day was important to my Anglo-Saxon ancestors and they called it “Winter Finding.” The Summer was over and Winter was close. More than most peoples they depended on the harvest to get them through the Winter, so they paused to give thanks on this day. It was a reflective holiday, because hard times were coming and it was a reminder to prepare.
The ceremony they used in celebration was called “Boasting.” I frankly I think it is a good idea. They would gather in a circle and a horn of mead (wine made from honey) would be passed around. When it came to you the custom was for you to single out a member of the community you felt was worthy of praise and to offer a toast to that person. That’s cool. So was what came next.
After a few rounds of this as the mead did it’s work, some of the warriors would begin to praise themselves, but the custom was to do this in a light hearted way that was obviously intended to be funny. People would boast about their foibles or exaggerate their accomplishments to the degree that everyone knew they were kidding. It was a way for important people in the community to apologize for their rough spots, or at least acknowledge they were not blind to their own faults.
These days some people who are influenced by wider spiritual practices also pause on the Autumn Equinox to ponder what the Buddha called “Right Livelihood.” We ask ourselves about our work. Is it still a good match to personality and temperament? Is it fulfilling work? Are we being treated well? Are we happy or is it time to look for new employment? Hard times might be ahead for us occupationally, are we prepared? I think that’s a good thing for everyone to ask themselves at least once each year.
For myself, my work remains a joy. I love what I do and certainly plan to continue. So I use this time to reflect on what I need to do to improve. What books do I need to study? Is there new equipment to acquire? Are my business systems working or is there a repair needed? But that said, I’m happy and as the year swings toward the cold and dark times I feel pretty good.