Autumn Equinox
The Autumn Equinox is a beautiful threshold time to share our gifts in community, attune ourselves to the rhythm of nature and set intentions for the season to come.
Across different cultures, the Equinox has been a threshold time for community to come together to celebrate the change of the seasons and to connect to the spiritual realm. Many of our ancestors revered this event as a sacred time, harnessing its energy for guidance and transformation.
In Ancient Egypt, the Pyramids serves as a map of the Sun’s path on the Earth. It is hypothesized that the Ancient Egyptians used the Pyramids to measure light & dark. To honor of balance, the Sun’s transition to Libra Season & Ancient Egyptian Wisdom
In Ancient Greece, the Autumn Equinox was the celebration of Persephone. Zeus & Demeter’s daughter and the Queen of the underworld.
The Hopi and Navajo would embark on Vision Quests on the Equinox because of the auspicious nature of the cosmic and Earthly alignment of the Equinox.
The most familiar reference for modern times is Mabon - The festival of the harvest. According to Celtic legend, the tale begins with Earth Mother Goddess and Guardian of the Otherworld Modron giving birth to the Great Son Mabon. Owls, Stags and Salmon were referenced in this legend as Mabon was reborn as the Son of Light.
The word ‘Equinox’ is derived from Latin, meaning ‘equal night’ when day and night have become equal length all over the world, with roughly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.
From this day, each day gets shorter by the minute until the shortest day of the year–the winter solstice. As we slip into days that are more dark than light, it’s important to remember that Autumn is a intersection of celebration and release.
And the celebration comes first! At this time of the year, our senses are delighted with the sights, tastes, and smells of the Earth’s bounty. It is time to indulge in colourful, healthy, nutrient-dense foods, come together with loved ones and share our gifts.
TASTE THE RAINBOW
On the day of the Equinox there is balance between light and dark. Through this balance, a bridge is a created. When day and night (light and dark) are equal, the veils between dimensions are the thinnest and a portal is created. It is known to some as the ‘Rainbow Bridge’ of the universe. It's a powerful time to reflect and set intentions for the coming cycle.
Ultimately, the Autumn Equinox is a beautiful opportunity to pause and appreciate life's delicate balance, attune yourself with the rhythm of nature, and to set your intentions for the months to come.
It's a time for reflection, gratitude, and the celebration of the ever-turning wheel of the year.
You can find inspiration to mark this special time below. Or share your own ritual or tradition in the comments below.
Whatever way, you choose to celebrate, I wish you a blessed and magical time.
Equinox Blessings!
JOURNAL PROMT
The Autumn Equinox is a great time to reflect on the Summer time. Which of your Dream-seeds bloomed and which did not. It is also a time to start preparing for the Winter time by reflecting upon what we wish to take with us into the darker months.
Rituals for Autumn Eqionox
REFLECT ON YOUR JOURNEY
The Autumn Equinox, a magical moment when day and night stand in perfect balance, serves as the ideal backdrop for a personal ceremony. Whether with a flickering candle or in front of a fireplace’s or bonfire's warmth, you can honor the dualities of light and dark, life and death, and the profound balance that the Eqinox symbolizes.
Take a moment to reflect on the past season, what you've achieved, and what you're ready to release–like the trees start dropping their leaves too.
You may want to offer gratitude for the abundance in your life, whether it's the harvest of the land or any bountiful experience, you've have been blessed with. Share your hopes and intentions for the season ahead, setting clear goals and aspirations for the coming months.
As the sun dips below the horizon, and darkness gradually claims the day, you can light a lantern or candle, symbolizing your inner light amidst the encroaching darkness. Take a moment of quiet contemplation, feeling the equilibrium of the Equinox and your place within this cosmic dance of light and darkness.
MAKE AN ALTAR
Making an altar is a powerful - and playful - way to connect to the season, ground and celebrate the shift of the seasons.
Here is a list of inspiration of elements, you can use to create your personal altar:
Candle: To anchor in the light as we transition into more hours of darkness
Flowers: To anchor into innocence and playful wonder as Mother Earth surrenders into the more introverted season
Fallen Leaves: to honor the trees and the earthly guardians and ancestors as they turn inward for the winter.
Pinecones: to honor rebirth, freedom, growth
Acorns: to represent potential
When making your personal altar, always use your intuition, connect to the land and listen to what messages, you receive.
We went to Øens Madhus from the Semine 'Copenhagen Oases' Travel Guide
Celebrate with a ‘HARVEST FEAST’
September is the perfect time to host a Harvest party. Think pot-luck style get-to-gethers, where everybody brings a dish. Building community can be as simple as that, and an Autumn gathering is such a great way to lean into the energy of bounty and feeling of abundance, as we share our gifts.
Here is a list of ingredients, that are specially powerful around the Autumn Equinox:
Pumpkin: The colour of Autumn and fruit of the harvest, honoring the divine feminine, the womb and the fruits of our labor.
Pomegranate: to honor Persephone and her strength and courage for traversing the underworld with grace.
Apple: to honor wisdom, sweetness, the harvest and the seasonal shift.
Cinnamon: to bring in the heat as we transition to the darker days.