A Divine Pause and Sacred Purpose

Equinox energy, and the natural threshold that invites intentional change.

This week has all the feels…

When I was driving to work this morning in the pre-dawn darkness, my truck’s headlights caught a couple of raccoons. I let up on the gas and paused as I watched them scurry across the road and into the storm drain. I immediately thought: adaptable, resourceful and clever with a dash of mischievousness. As their glow-in-the-dark eyes met mine, I began to consider how I’ve been adapting.

In my three-year-long quest for entrepreneurship, I’ve had a tendency to get stuck in cycles of non-stop hustle. The constant pivots, failures, and the never-ending-try-agains seemed to hit me at once. I’ve reached my own edge. I’m realizing that my original business journey has been slowly morphing into a ministry.

Watching those raccoons carrying the treasures they found while out hunting for the night, reminded me that I needed to take some breathing room for myself and see how my own treasures were lining up with my personal goals and purpose. What old ideas am I hanging onto that aren’t aligning with who I’m becoming?

The equinox represents a time of balance. I think of it as divine, sacred space. As if time stops for a bit and hangs in stillness before turning towards winter. It feels like a natural time to pause.

I am seeing this within my own life as the cycles that began in early spring, are now naturally ending. A big one for me is I’m graduating from my interfaith ministry class that I dedicated myself to this year. The shifts I have felt within me have been life-altering. My visits to different churches, places of worship and shrines showed me the divinity and worthiness of all souls. 

The practice of writing and delivering ceremonies showed me the true power of belonging and our need for human connection through community. It also revealed the importance of honoring life’s milestones through commemorating the nonstop cycles of endings and beginnings. 

I’m sad to see this class end. I’m allowing myself to feel the loss while also recognizing the gratitude I have for the growth I’ve experienced, the new relationships I’ve built, and perspectives I’ve gained. It’s time for me to celebrate the end of one cycle, so a new one can begin. 

This reflection has led to a broader introspection. Intuitively, I feel the need to create a new nighttime ritual, assess my relationship with sugar and to give myself an ego-check for when I’m feeling annoyingly entitled. 

This reflection has also revealed how well my previous business goals still align with who I’m becoming. Turns out, they don’t. 

This week is showing me it’s time for a sacred pause. I’m taking the cue from those raccoons and embracing a little resourcefulness of my own. I’m also going to add a dash of mischief and give myself permission to play. Whether it be hiking outside or reading a trashy novel, I will embrace this pause.

Alongside this personal inner transformation, I’ve been creating a Sacred Harvest Ceremony to honor this equinox, a gathering place for reflection, releasing what is ending, and setting intentions for growth. When it's ready, I’ll be sharing the invitation. If you feel called, I’d love for you to experience it with me. 

With Love, 

Rev Jane 

My Equinox Ritual

My personal process for this equinox is to spend time reflecting upon what is naturally coming to a close, releasing old identities and beliefs that no longer serve my highest good and examining the new wisdom I’ve learned and want to carry forth. 

Journaling helps me to be specific and intentional with both releasing old energy and absorbing the energy I want to cultivate within. Meditation with visualization is what helps me feel the dynamic shifts of change and embodiment. 

Grab your journal, a notebook or even a post-it-note, and jot down the things that are coming to a close. Think about the lessons learned and what wisdom you picked up along the way. It can be a few words, a couple of phrases or as many run-on sentences as you like. There is no such thing as a journal jury—this is your personal and private space to do as you please. 

Journal Prompts:

• What seems to be naturally coming to a close?

• What emotions, old stories or grief have been coming up recently that deserve attention?

• What have I learned about myself? What tools worked for me, and what wisdom did I gain? 

• What are some of the things I want to begin or keep cultivating for myself? Some ideas might look like: self-trust, courage, building a new habit and finding ways to bring more joy into my daily life. 

During meditation, I like to visualize the energy and release what I’m letting go of, then I refresh that space with what I want to bring in and cultivate. I imagine the energy as a color, a feeling, a visual in my mind’s eye. I gather it all into a ball, then watch it fall and be absorbed into the earth. Next, I imagine the things I want to bring in as different colors. I think about what each of the colors means for me. Then I feel each color enter and absorb into my body and embrace them as truth.

What are some rituals you have created for yourself that help you to ground, flow and embody transformation?