The Nudge - Dispatch 31 | Autumn Equinox
Welcome to The Nudge
Autumn Equinox 2025
“ The golden-rod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruits are bending down.”
Helen Hunt Jackson
Dear Friends, Kindred Spirits and Anam Chairde
Táimid ar bís - we are excited to prepare our seasonal care package, The Nudge, with you as Autumn approaches here in the northern hemisphere.
“As I write, it feels as though our world is descending ever further into dystopia. We are in the throes of late-stage everything and the intensity is almost unbearable.
And yet, at the very same time, I keep finding pockets of fierce beauty all around me, important reminders that life remains utterly precious.
Recently, I travelled to the West Kerry Gaeltacht for the brilliant dance experience -1975 | Naoi Déag Seachtó Cúig by Michael Keegan-Dolan at Teach Damhsa and then to Cork for the extraordinary Ode to Joy that is Sounds from a Safe Harbour Festival by Mary Hickson. Friendship, Art and Solidarity are the places where I’m finding soul medicine in these apocalyptic times.
Above and Below: We are at a powerful juncture - an eclipse season in the doorway of the equinox. And the Great Wheel keeps turning, inviting us to spiral ever deeper into the cycles of life, death and rebirth.
Autumn Equinox is a sacred threshold time when nature invites us to pay attention within and without.
How do we find equilibrium amid such polarity?
Do we have the courage to follow Donna Haraway’s invitation to “stay with the trouble”?
At Brian Eno’s Together for Palestine concert at Wembley, I watched Francesca Albanese give a powerful call to action:
“Relinquish an inch of your privilege,
so that an entire people don’t have to lose everything.”
These words continue to echo within me.
What are we willing to relinquish right now, as ancestors-in-training?
What are we truly here for?
And so as we arrive at the turning point of Autumn Equinox, can we accept this invitation to pause and harvest so that we can consciously complete what no longer serves and ‘follow the trouble’ with compassion, courage and right action.
Beir bua — with victory”
Autumn Equinox, or Cónacht an Fhómhair as Gaeilge, marks the turn from summer’s full abundance to the quiet embrace of winter. Day and night, light and dark find their equilibrium, inviting us to pause and notice what is going on within and around us. The archeoastronomy dates for this Autumn Equinox is Monday, September 22.
This Equinox is one of the four sacred hinge points of the year. For thousands of years, the ancient ones have honoured this threshold in sacred spaces aligned with the sun, like Grianán of Aileach in Donegal, where the rising rays divide the ancient stone fort in two: a timeless reminder of our connection to the cosmos.
This is the time of harvest and a time of gratitude for the bountiful yield of the land and a time to prepare for the colder, darker months ahead. Communities would gather in ritual, feasts and celebration, honouring the shift from productivity to stillness and the natural cycle of life, death and rebirth.
From this moment, the outwardly expansive energies of summer wane, making way for the inward, descending energies of the dark feminine. As the leaves fall in the outer world, the inner world invites us to reap the fruits we have planted this year. The invitation is to pause, observe, digest and embody this threshold moment as we move gently toward the year’s end at Samhain.
journal prompts to inspire you:
- What creative endeavours have you embarked on this year? Take a moment to acknowledge the seeds you've sown and the "harvest" you've reaped so far.
- Have you a sense of the opposing forces showing up in your life at the moment? How can you dance with these opposites?
- What medicine will prepare & resource you as we pivot into the darker half of the year?
what's coming up at the trailblazery:
As the Great Wheel turns, we are excited to let you know what the future holds for our community here at The Trailblazery.
Scoil Scairte
We are delighted to announce the upcoming Autumn semester of Scoil Scairte, beginning October 2 – November 27, 2025. This 9-week journey is a living immersion into Irish language, land and lore, bringing together the songs, stories and wisdom of Ireland in a global learning community.
Guided by Kathy Scott, Manchán Magan, Joseph Jones, and a host of inspiring bilingual artists, educators, and culture-keepers, Scoil Scairte is a space to reclaim your roots, explore Irish heritage and connect with like-hearted learners around the world.
This new expanded edition offers a lifelong pathway of learning and unlearning in community and at your own pace, from anywhere in the world.
For more info and to book your place, visit our website here.
3 curated resources to nourish your senses in the days ahead:
♪ Listen: For your ears
Enjoy this Equinox poem by Kathy, celebrating this moment of transition and the harmonious dance of opposites. As the Great Wheel turns and Autumn Equinox approaches, we honour the cycles of birth, death and rebirth. May this poem nourish your soul and help usher in the abundant blessings of the Equinox.
✮ Watch: For your eyes
“There’s an ancient language alive in Ireland that people have spoken for thousands of years. It’s a portal to many realms, and it’s waiting for us….” - Manchán Magan
In these turbulent times, there’s a rising call to reconnect with our roots so that together, we can rise to meet the future as ancestors-in-training. Scoil Scairte is our response to that call. This is an experiential journey that opens the heart, sparks the soul and rewilds the mind. We are honoured to walk this path with one of Ireland's national treasures Manchán Magan. Bígi linn. Be with us.
✦ Cherish: For your heart
The Underground International Cinema Festival in Dublin is screening Gaza By No Other Name: Jimmy Carter’s Vision, the directorial debut of our Scoil Scairte alumnus Barbara McVeigh and Maurice Jacobsen. This two-year collaboration between Gazan and US artists illuminates Jimmy Carter’s 2009 warning and his call for justice for the Palestinian people. Featuring interviews with artists in Gaza and those displaced, the film is a moving testament to Carter’s courage and legacy. It is available globally online here.
EnJOY these days - may the fading light be yours.
Thank you for walking this path with us,
Beannachtaí,
Kathy & all at The Trailblazery