September Equinox 2011

Day-long silent meditation retreat

Welcome to a day of silent meditation and quiet activities sponsored by the Emerald Coast Meditation Society on Sunday September 25 honoring the equinox, which is on September 23 at 9:05 UT, which is 4:05 a.m. CDT. At this precise moment in time, earth's equator crosses the sun's equator. That point is aligned with the center of the sun; night and day are equal there—thus the term equinox. Whirling around the galactic core, earth is centered in the sun's orbit. An equinox is a fine time to harmonize and restore balance to being. We can observe and tune in to these cosmic effects in the surrounding days. So even though the retreat is two days after the equinox, we can still tune in and up.

Hours: 6:15 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.. Location: Coastal Branch Library (click for map). Participate in the whole day or any part of it, free of charge. The day includes eight 30-minute meditation periods interspersed with breakfast, lunch, tea, outdoor walks, related activities and breaks. To sign up for the retreat, contact Nancy James at nancyjames@embarqmail.com or 231-1498.

James and Caroling Geary who lead the day's events, have been meditating since the 1970s. Caroling has done yoga since 1974 and meditative art since 1954. James was a founding member of the Minnesota Zen Meditation Center in 1972 and of the Emerald Coast Meditation Society in 2009. Links.

Schedule

6:15 a.m. Meditators arrive in silence

6:30-7:00 Meditate

7-7:05 Slow walk; instructions given

7:10-7:40 Outdoor walk

7:40-7:50 Break

7:50-8:20 Mindful breakfast and meal cleanup

8:20-8:40 Break

8:40-9:10 Meditate

9:10-9:15 Slow walk

9:20-9:50 Breathing and heart-opening exercises

9:50-10 Break

10:00-10:30 Meditate

10:30-10:35 Slow walk

10:40 - 11:10 Yoga

11:10 - 11:20 Break

11:20-11:50 Meditate

11:50-11:55 Slow walk

11:55-12:10 Break silence, discuss questions that have arisen

12:10-12:40 Mindful Lunch and meal cleanup

12:40-1 Break

1:00-1:30 Meditate

1:30-1:35 Slow walk

1:40-2:10 Refreshing breathwalk; indoors or out, depending on conditions

2:10-2:20 Break

2:20-2:50 Meditate

2:50-2:55 Slow walk

3-3:30 Qigong energy work

3:30-3:40 Break

3:40-4:10 Meditate

4:10-4:15 Slow walk

4:20-4:50 Tea and fruit, and cleanup

4:50-5 Break

5-5:30 Meditate

5:30-5:40 Break silence, discuss people’s comments and questions

5:40-5:45 Closing words; end of day

Links

See also 12 solstices and equinoxes.