Today is the equinox · Equal day, equal night
The Autumn Equinox is one of the 24 solar terms that guide the traditional Chinese calendar. On this day, day and night are almost exactly the same length, and the weather shifts from summer heat to autumn cool. To the ancients, it was a major turning point of the year.
Thousands of years ago, when life revolved around the fields, the equinox meant the farming year was done and the harvest was complete — which is why modern China marks it as the "Chinese Farmers' Harvest Festival." Around this time, the "Dragon Star" (the Azure Dragon constellation) sinks below the horizon. That signaled "the hidden dragon does not act": the year's cycle was closing, and it was time to settle down.
What does "the hidden dragon" mean?
The first line of the Qian hexagram in the I Ching says: "At the beginning, the hidden dragon — do not act." It is linked to the Autumn Equinox. The "dragon" is the Azure Dragon star group in the sky: it rises at the Spring Equinox and sinks at the Autumn Equinox.
When the dragon "hides," we too are meant to quiet our restlessness, stop pushing forward, and enjoy the season in peace. As an old saying puts it: the metal energy of autumn — the character "fen" (divide) — means day and night are split evenly, and warmth gives way to cold.
How to care for yourself: from yang to yin
From spring through summer we focused on nurturing "yang" energy. As autumn and winter arrive, the goal shifts to balancing both yin and yang, with extra care for nourishing yin and blood. A few simple adjustments:
- Routine: you don't need to wake at dawn — rise when it's light, and sleep a little longer if you like.
- Exercise: if you love intense workouts, ease off now and choose gentler movement.
- Mood: the dragon has hidden, so let yourself slow down and savor autumn's harvest and views.
From the equinox on, a daily bowl of tremella soup
For most solar terms, a food remedy is taken for a couple of weeks to a month or two. But from the Autumn Equinox, tremella (white fungus) soup is meant to be eaten every day until just before spring begins. The reason is simple: autumn and winter are dry. The most basic way to moisten the body is a daily bowl of tremella.
It is clear, gentle, and the friendliest wellness dessert of the cold season. The photo below shows a warm bowl of it.
A poem for the equinox
and the equinox slips past in a blink.
One bright moon for all the seas,
white clouds shared by a thousand hills.
Wild-geese mist blurs the dawn trees,
insect dew wets the fragrant celery.
A page full of longing words,
sent to you on the wind.
Sharing this equinox
"One bright moon for all the seas, white clouds shared by a thousand hills." Across mountains and seas, a few words sent on the wind — may we too spend this equinox together, and cherish the beauty of the season.
Counting the years left, how many more equinoxes will there be? When we next see the same view, who knows in what year. May this warm bowl and this bright moon help you slow down, and be here, now.