The Autumn Equinox Gate is formed by two old trees growing on either side of a forest path with their branches intertwining overhead.

One is lush and green, hanging heavy with ripe apples while the other is a maple turned to full scarlet with it’s leaves gently falling.

Wild pumpkin vines wind around the bottoms of their trunks and acorns pile up along the edges of the path that leads below their branches and into the forest beyond. 

You arrive at sunset.

Golden light still slants through the trees but you can feel the nip of a cold night pooling in the growing shadows. 

You take off your pack and lean it against one of the trees. It's packed full and heavy with all the things you've collected over the year.

Books of your stories and jars of sweet things you saved. All kinds of treasures that you've made and been given along the way.

As you rest and stretch your tired shoulders, you see a beautiful orange fox approaching from the edge of the forest.

She shows no fear as she gets nearer...

She walks up and sits next to your bulging backpack, looking at it with a bemused curiosity in her golden eyes.

“Why do you bear such a heavy load traveler?” she asks in a soft gentle voice.

“These are my things.” you say. “I need them for the road ahead.” Gesturing at the path fading slowly into the deepening twilight.

“Hmmm..” purrs the fox. “You can take what you wish, but be aware that this trail leads to different places depending on what you choose to carry.”

“What do you mean?” you say. “A trail doesn’t change based on what I’m carrying in my pack.”

“Are you sure about that?” The fox sits at the base of the apple tree, curling her tail around her front paws. “People that pass the Autumn gate with heavy packs will often choose the easiest trail. The one that always leads slightly downhill and feels so comfortable and safe to walk on- you can do it with your eyes closed.”

“Sounds great to me” you say. “Why would anyone not take the easiest path?”

“Well it depends” purrs the fox. “That path will feel safe but it will not show you anything new. It will be like every path you’ve ever walked on before. You will still get tired but it’s because you’ll be bored and constantly thinking about how great it will be when the journey is finally over. Your eyes will always be on the same horizon and no matter how fast you go or how hard you push it’ll never seem to get you any closer to it. It’s just be more of the same.”

“Hmmm.. I see what you mean.” you say. “Ok then tell me about the other path. What is that like?”

The foxes eyes get larger and meet yours in a direct stare. “That path is much harder. It’s steep and unpredictable. You will lose many things even before you start and there is no one who can tell you which way to go if you get lost. It splits off in many directions and once you start it’s impossible to turn back. You have to keep going.”

“OK, that sounds scary.” you say, thinking about how dark and cold the forest around you would be if you got lost. “What do I get by going that way?'“

“Well the path is very interesting” says the fox and jumps up on a nearby boulder as if to get a better view of the road. “It’s different for every person and once you go you’ll never be the same. You’ll learn to be brave and hone new skills. You’ll be tested often but sometimes teachers will appear to help you. The one thing you can’t take is a heavy pack. You will have to leave most of it here and take only what you absolutely cannot live without.”

“Can you tell me what other people do when they reach this gate? Maybe that will give me a clue.” you say, stalling for time.

“Oh that’s easy. Most everyone takes the safe path.” says the fox with a the type of sly grin only a foxy face can give.

“They take everything they have with them and they work very hard. Some try to do it perfectly and see if they can make it in record time. To make it more of a challenge I often see them carrying other people’s pack too, it looks exhausting and not much fun if you ask me. They often end up very resentful of how no one appreciated how hard they made it on themselves.”

“What do the people who take the harder path say?” you ask, still not sure what to do.

“I don’t know.” the fox shrugged. “The Autumn gate they’ll come to next will be in a new land far from here. There’s a bridge they must cross early and it can take some of them quite a while to get to the other side. Once they’ve crossed they have no desire to come back here.”

“Do the paths have trail heads or names so you know which one your walking on?” you ask, thinking maybe a sign or a map it will give you a clue on how to proceed.

“Oh yes” says the fox. “but it’s up to you to decide which one you’ll take before you get on them”. She gestures the tree gate and now you see there’s a small sign carved into the bark of each tree.

You go up to read them and your heart sinks. “Is this my only choice?”

“I’m afraid so”, says the fox. “You see these paths lead to different worlds entirely. Once you are there you think, see and feel very differently.”

You stare at the signs and then back at your pack on the ground full of all the things you’ve grown used to having everyday.

Giving up the pack is a big price to pay and there’s stuff in there you’d really like to hold onto.

But at the same time, you didn’t come this far to just play it safe. You only live once.

You take a deep breath and read the signs once again trying to make a choice.

One of them says MIND and the other says HEART.

You can see the bridge the fox spoke of over in the distance following the HEART path.

“What’s the bridge called? you ask.

“That bridge is called GRIEF” the fox answers. “It is a deep crossing but one that’s necessary if you go that way.”

“If I keep my pack and go with the mind, then I avoid grief? That seems like a good choice.” you say.

“Yes, but you will have to carry another thing with you. I didn’t want to bring it up until you were ready to decide” the fox looks down rather sheepishly and gestures with her head to a large dark jar with a rusted lid laying on it’s side near the edge of the trees.

“If you carry that, you can use a tunnel instead of taking the bridge.” fox offers.

You walk over and pick up the jar. Once it’s in your hand the weight of it feels strangely familiar. As if it was you who left it here years ago and then forgot about it.

The worn out label looks like it could be your writing. It reads, SHAME.

'“Don’t worry”, says the fox. “Once you get going you won’t notice your carrying it and you’ll never show it to anyone else. It will be your secret”

You set the jar back down reluctantly and ask, “Is it ok if I stay here for the night and think about it?” The sky is slowly turning a deeper blue and you can see the first glimmer of stars overhead.

“Oh yes, it’s the Fall Equinox tonight. Celebrate all you want.” fox offers merrily as she jumps down and starts to walk back towards the woods.

“Spread out your pack and enjoy the harvest. Have a fire and some of the apples. No matter where you end up, the only place you’re ever going to be is now. This now is very nice spot to be.”

“Thank you!” you call out to the fox but her bushy tail is already dissapearing under a cluster of huckleberry and salal bushes.

You make a fire, brew some hot tea and sit a while in quiet contemplation looking at the stars and listening for the answer to come.

Leaning back, you see the constellation Libra overhead. A giant cosmic scale to weigh your options. on

What does your mind think you should do?

What feels like the right path to your heart?

Only you can choose your own adventure!

Happy Fall Equinox!

Let me know what path you picked and why in the comments below!

oxoxo

Ginger