By Scott A. Yeager for GANT News
The Autumn Equinox marks a special time of year in the Pennsylvania Wilds. As the astronomy implies, the equinox provides those of us in the Northwoods with an equal amount of both daylight and darkness. Like any time of significant transition, there are always signs.
Traveling through north-central Pennsylvania, you will see brilliant fields of goldenrod, an often-maligned plant that is both beautiful and medicinal, according to First Nations People.
You will see a change in the activities of geese, monarch butterflies, red winged black birds and hummingbirds. They can be seen clustered and en route to warmer, southern habitats.
Their travels through our region are cyclical; wish them well on their way and fear not – they will be seen and heard among us again.
As the dawn begins to break cooler each day over our misty valleys and mountains in colorful transition, you will sense an urgency, a quickening in the very air you breath.
This is a shared experience, one that makes all life shine a bit brighter in the Pennsylvania Wilds. As our days grow shorter, both humans and animals – like our migrating friends – seek the comfort that comes from interactions with others.
Soon the hardwoods that blanket our region will craft a landscape conducive to the cultivation of special bonds and will give of their leaves to brighten our celebratory steps – days may grow shorter, but they will be at their most spectacular. Autumn is upon us.
During Autumn, the Pennsylvania Wilds is a most romantic and magical place. The Ancient Greeks, like many residents and visitors to the PA Wilds, revered the forests, hills, the harvest and the hunt – the Goddess Artemis was the deity charged by her father Zeus to govern such things.
Artemis would have been very much at home in the Pennsylvania Wilds. She was an accomplished huntress, a steward of the animals, plants and waterways that were under her protection. Sadly, she was alone.
While there are varied accounts, Artemis did enjoy a brief relationship with a kindred spirit, the legendary hunter Orion. You see, Artemis was a twin. Her brother, Apollo, was all-seeing and was charged with moving the Sun from East to West each day with his chariot.
Artemis was a virtuous person. She had never met another like herself. Orion was her perfect match. Apollo took umbrage at Artemis’ affections for Orion and sought to end the relationship by sending a giant scorpion to eliminate the threat to his sister’s virtue. Apollo succeeded. Orion perished. Artemis was heart-broken.
Artemis asked her father Zeus to place Orion in a position of honor. Seeing the disappointment on his daughter’s face, Zeus exalted Orion among the constellations of the night. To this day, the love that Artemis and Orion shared for one another is marked by his return to our night skies each autumn.
As the nights grow cooler in the Pennsylvania Wilds and as the fires begin to crackle with the sweet smell of autumn leaves, that quickening in the air that lifts one’s heart will trigger a gaze skyward and southwest – Orion is rising.
His constellation hovers timelessly over our region, heralding a season of unrivaled beauty and transformation. From above, Orion smiles upon his love, Artemis and her fine works here in the Pennsylvania Wilds.