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Autumn Equinox Rituals

The Autumn Equinox is a time of both abundance, celebrating in the year’s harvest, and prepare for the months ahead and eventual wind down of the year. A true period of two halves (perfect for the balance of Libra Season)!

As it is typically the time of the second main harvest festival, the one that would see us through the winter, many cultures have used this as a time for gathering, feasting, as well as giving back to the land, gratitude and appreciation, and looking towards the future. For example, the week-long Greek celebration of the Eleusinian Mysteries which revolved around the myth of Demeter and Persephone (representing the harvest cycle/life, death, and rebirth) was held around now.

What are the Equinoxes?

The Equinox (Vernal/Spring and Autumnal) is a celestial event where the Sun is exactly on the equator visually, making the night and day of equal length across the world— equi = equal, and nox = night in Latin. They are the only times of year when the Earth's axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the Sun.

This is the time of year when the Sun rises exactly due East so a perfect time to rise with it, reorient yourself, and charge your spiritual tools! The same is true for setting at exactly West.

For this reason, just like the Solstices (Summer and Winter, which represent the longest and shortest day respectively), foraging and gathering herbs and plants on this day, as well as rising with the Sun and absorbing its rays was perceived as particularly auspicious!

The Signs that fall on the Solstices and Equinoxes are known as Cardinal Signs because they initiate the Seasons. These are: Aries and the Vernal/Spring Equinox, Cancer and the Summer Solstice, Libra and the Autumnal Equinox, and Capricorn with the Winter Solstice.

These are days of the year when many ancient historical sacred sites were created to align with the Sun; for example Stonehenge (Equinoxes and Solstices), Macchu Picchu (Winter Solstice), the Pyramids of Giza (Equinoxes), Chaco Canyon (Solstices), Newgrange (Winter Solstice) etc.

The Equinoxes and Solstices are also a part of the Celtic and Pagan Wheel of the Year, called quarter holidays. The Spring Equinox is known as Ostara and is related to fertility, renewal, and abundance. Many believe this is connected to ancient Anglo-Saxon Goddess of Spring and fertility, Ēostre. The Summer Solstice is called Litha and related to a time of abundance, festivities, joy, and celebration. The Autumn Equinox is called Mabon and is related to harvest, gratitude, and reflection. Although there is evidence that the name was adopted in the 1970s and the holiday was not originally a Celtic celebration. The Winter Solstice is Yule and related to introspection, gathering, and purification.

The cross-quarter holidays are the ones that fall in between these, typically towards the beginning/end of the month (such as the famous Samhain in between the Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice). Lammas/Lughnasadh falls on August 1st, between the Summer Solsice and Autumn Equinox, representing the first of the harvest festivals.

The Autumn Equinox

As “Western” Astrology is created on the passage of time in the Northern Hemisphere, the Autumn Equinox marks the start of Libra Season, aka when the Sun enters the Zodiac Sign of Libra. As the Sun moves roughly 1º per day, 30 days after that it will be Scorpio Season and so on (it’s not a constellational system as is often thought)!

The exact dates of the Solstices and Equinoxes will vary slightly year to year, but the Autumn Equinox in the North falls somewhere around the 22nd September.

This is when the blazing heat of summer is over and the harvest is ripe for gathering. We may have indulged and excessed, enjoyed our carefreeness, and now it is time to prepare to rest and recuperate, begin to cool down, and take stock of what has come to fruition this year.

Autumn Equinox Rituals

As mentioned, working with the energy of the Sun on the Autumn Equinox can be a powerful way to harness its energy, vibrancy, and power. Many Autumn Equinox rituals focus on abundance, gratitude, harvesting, reflection, and preparing to look back in order to look forward, the slow wind down of the year. As is typical, there is a focus on nature, animals, food, and the cycles of life, death, and rebirth.

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Here are 9 Autumn Equinox ritual ideas to honour the changing seasons:

1. Rise with the Sun - Wake up at sunrise and get that first potent sunlight into your eyes. Greet the Sun, thank it for its life-giving energy, and set an intention for what you wish to call in for the rest of the year while giving thanks for all that you have achieved and been blessed with thus far! Take a moment to reflect on the passage of time. Bonus points for doing some sun salutations.

2. Watch the sunset - to complete the ritual, this is a beautiful way to close out this simple practice of the day (as well as safely sunbathing in the midday Sun if you would like to activate all types of solar energy)! Take a moment to simply marvel at the natural world.

3. Create Sun tea - Simply brew some tea (with freshly picked herbs if possible!) and leave it to brew in the Sun, allowing it to soak up the golden rays (some people like to make a cold infusion directly). Stir in your intentions and mindfully sip your tea, envisioning your visions coming to fruition. Sun-related herbs include dandelion, calendula, marigold, and St John’s Wort.

4. Cleanse your crystals, jewellery, divination tools + space - Leave any Sun-safe objects you wish to charge with the energy of the Sun outside for a while and program them with an intention when you bring them back inside. Bonus points for gold jewellery! Use herbal smoke wands to cleanse and reinvigorate your sacred space.

5. Do a burning ritual - If you’re part of my Spirit Subscription already you’ll know how much I love burning rituals! Light a candle, write down what you wish to let go of, and safely burn it using tweezers— I like to keep a bowl of saltwater nearby to drop the ash in. Flush it down the toilet and thank the Elements for their assistance after, visualising it leaving you.

You can also quickly (and carefully) “sain” any firesafe objects to purify them (moving them backwards and forwards through the flame). You can also try a flame-gazing meditation (tataka) and see what visions come to you. Or, have a full-on bonfire! Gather your loved ones and release the year together. Afterwards, it can be nice to write a gratitude list to celebrate your abundance.

6. Forage - Many traditions believed that any herbs, plants, fruits, flowers, and vegetables picked on the Equinox were imbued with potent energy— any balms, potions, or concoctions you also make with them this day are said to be supercharged! You can also cook a meal with loved ones using seasonal vegetables and eat by candlelight, sharing what you are grateful for.

7. Bake autumnal treats - Think apple pie, bread, soups and stews with root vegetables, or simply hot cocoa or mulled wine if it doesn’t feel to wintery for you yet! Making a simmer pot with orange and cinnamon is also nice. Bonus points for getting the ingredients from a farmer’s market!

8. Compost - Either literally in your garden if you have one or gather things you wish to release and bury them in nature somewhere. Honour the cycles of life and death and how it creates space for the new, a necessary time to recharge. You can collect acorns, pine cones, and fallen leaves and draw sigils on them that represent your intention for the rest of the year to decorate an Autumn altar in your home too.

9. Purge - While we often think of Spring cleaning, this is also a good time of year to re-find the balance in your life and cleanse away what is no longer aligned. Purification rituals can also be useful. Tidy your home, clear clutter, and gift/donate what you no longer want/need. Start to prepare your nest to be warm and cosy (think blankets, slippers, bath robes, and heartwarming fall movies after a crisp walk in nature). You might like to start some more introspective hobbies too such as knitting, crochet, baking, or candle-making, making jam, canning, and preserving food is also typical of this time.

So those are ways to celebrate Autumn Equinox rituals in order to honour this passage of time, I hope it’s insightful for you! Let me know in the comments section below if you have anything else to add or any questions.

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