Autumnal Equinox 2022: Everything changes

Cathy Holt
5 min readSep 21, 2022

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Opening of Ojo de Agua’s new theater

As always, the sun enters the sign of Libra on the fall equinox, which has also become associated with the Day of Peace around the world. Libra represents learning, communication, teaching, relationships, and creativity. There is a new moon in Libra on September 22, and the Sabian symbol for it is: “The dawn of a new day reveals everything changed.” Other astrological features indicate that this is a time for shadow work and shaking up of structures that are out of alignment with one’s life purpose. There is the harvest of what has come to fruition, while the falling leaves beckon us to the shedding of old patterns.

My 104-year-old Dad!

My personal journey has taken me to Truro, Cape Cod, Massachusetts as I write this. My 104-year-old father, still living at home, now requires supervision and assistance around the clock, and that is really a strain on my youngest brother Michael, the chief caregiver. I’m just giving my brother a well-deserved break for about 15 days, while re-connecting with our beloved Dad and caring for him. He still loves to sing, and remembers a surprising number of songs, that we sing together. He is lavish with his gratitude for little things, like helping him get to the commode during the night and swinging his legs up into the bed afterwards; making him a hot cup of coffee and a meal; and warming up his cool, swollen feet with a massage.

Next I will visit my old friends in the Asheville area of North Carolina, then return to Barichara in time for the long-planned biogas digester installation. This trip is also giving me some space to reflect on the complicated situation in Barichara, where a “Regenerative Finance” event will be taking place while I’m gone. Sadly, as dysfunctional patterns have emerged, I have lost the secure sense that I really belong in Barichara. Will I continue to stay, while unaddressed conflicts fester? Do I have the capacity to advocate for fair and compassionate solutions? Will I find another niche outside of Earth Regenerators? I hope to gain clarity. Instead of worrying, I want to tell the story of how it all turns out well, when denial and avoidance are overcome by heart-centered listening, and conflict resolution is embraced by the community.

A new local market

Rafa at work refurbishing the building

In recent weeks, Margarita has decided the asking price for the building formerly housing the Mercado Local (market selling local people’s value-added food products) was too high, but she is a resolute champion of the local economy. So she set about clearing out a small shed on her property, and put Rafa and Fernando to work enlarging it, removing the old roof and putting a better roof on it. It will be the new place for selling her granola, seed oils and dried fruit leathers, Arturo’s gomasio, and several other friends’ products. Got to admire this woman!

Fundacion Ojo de Agua, www.Fundacionojodeagua.org

Emilse and Oscar have done amazing work creating a theater troupe and a local venue for it. The troupe travels throughout Colombia. The theater was built in the traditional way, rammed-earth construction within a moveable frame, with a cane roof covered with tiles. Ojo de Agua, “Eye of Water,” refers to the sacred springs of water. Themes of their productions include restoring of water, soil, and biodiversity, as well as cultural healing and de-colonization. Although the plays depict stories of colonial oppression, murder, and suicide, children are always a key part of their audiences and productions.

Ojo de Agua’s mission is to generate artistic actions in campesino (rural farming) communities; to build knowledge of the watersheds; to teach audiovisual and theater skills to youth; and to promote rural dialogues, such as one I’d attended last year in June, called Paz y Subsistencia (Peace and Subsistence).

At the new theater’s opening performance, the play concerned an indigenous Quechua family in the Andes of Peru. The anguished mother was searching for her daughter, who had gone missing: kidnapped, enslaved, and murdered by Spanish colonialists. I was impressed by the emotional depth and the innovative theatrical techniques. At one moment, a projected video of a giant hand came down as if to crush a cowering actor onstage. In another telling scene, actors wearing giant heads portrayed the Pope handing over a large globe to the queen of Spain. Many of the actors were also gifted singers. The level of talent and political commentary rivaled anything I’d seen in performances by the San Francisco Mime Troupe, in years past. My friend Carlos Gomez, long a supporter of this foundation, spoke beautifully after the performance.

In these times of change and uncertainty, I turn to the words of Paul Krafel, author of Shifting, writing about restoring water to a landscape:

“Begin the work even though you cannot see the path by which this work can lead to your goal. Do not block your power with your current understanding. Evolution is the process by which the impossible becomes possible through small, accumulating changes. Concentrate on the direction, not the size of the change. Begin the work with actions that seem tiny but which are small enough to be maintained. The rate of change is slow at first but do not prematurely judge your efforts. Change happens through spirals; the work grows upon itself. As little changes accumulate, they will reinforce one another and make larger changes possible. Gradually, balances will shift. Enemies that block the way will become allies that lead the way. You do not work alone. Billions of other living things are doing the work. You are part of an invisible power. As it grows, the erosive power will fade. Begin the work.”

Wishing everyone a return to balance and harmony in all our relationships.

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Cathy Holt
Cathy Holt

Written by Cathy Holt

Cathy has been living in Colombia for 3 years. She’s passionate about regenerating landscapes with water retention, agro-forestry, and biogas digestors.

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