WHAT IS AUTUMN EQUINOX?
Autumn Equinox is the balance point in the year that marks the transition from summer to winter. It is the second moment on the Wheel of the Year when light and dark are in equal measure. This creates a moment of stillness that offers us a lens through which to view the light and the dark within everything. Nature invites us to melt into the continuum of the two and to understand that they are not strictly binary. Rather, one cannot exist without the other.
During each season, we’re shown by the changing cycles that there is a time for everything. This particular moment is a time for shifting our focus away from summer’s warm presence toward taking stock and preparing for the future. The Equinox naturally invites us to look at the abundance nature has given us over the growing season with gratitude and thanks for its nourishment.
WHAT ARE THE ENERGETICS OF AUTUMN EQUINOX?
The Autumn Equinox marks a point of maturation — not only for the fruits around us but also within ourselves. It is a moment to ask: “What’s next? What has to die in order to continue this evolution? How do I lovingly prepare the way for future generations?”
There is a sobering quality to this time that asks us to get clear, take action, and prepare, so that when winter comes and our access to resources changes, we are set up for success.
We are invited to clear out anything that is draining our energy and to cleanse any excess heaviness in our bodies or environments. This helps us cultivate a sharpened awareness that everything we nurture is utilizing our precious life force, and to take stock of how much we have to give.
WHICH ARCHETYPAL ENERGIES ARE PRESENT DURING AUTUMN EQUINOX?
This season mirrors the energy of the wise crone in the later phases of her life. She prepares for her eternal rest by getting her affairs in order and tending to anything that has been left undone. She does this from a place of love — both to create a sense of resolve for her soul and as an act of generosity for future generations.
During this time of year, we are metaphorically preparing to let what needs to die, die, so that the remaining vitality can be composted and returned to the soil to nurture next spring’s seeds. We ask ourselves: “How can I distill the wisdom from these experiences and allow myself to move forward with a sense of freedom?”
Related ally: Pearls of Wisdom
HOW CAN WE CREATE BALANCE DURING AUTUMN?
This can be a challenging season, especially in a culture that prioritizes the metaphoric spring and summer energies. Facing the concept of death can stir fear, so we must have tools to create balance within ourselves.
Looking at nature in Autumn, we see things drying up. The life force energy moves away from the tree’s expression and down into its roots. The fruit has already fallen, having given what was necessary to ensure the continuation of life for future generations. This honors the process of death.
Elementally, this season brings an increase of wind energy in the external environment. Autumn asks us to bundle up, to wear scarves, hats, and extra layers, to create warmth. There is a chill in the air, a slight bite to the atmosphere. That wind energy can also arise within us, because nature always mirrors our inner world. If we can create balance for what is happening externally within ourselves as well, we move toward a life of more harmony and less dis-ease.
In moments of transition, we may also become more spiritually open or sensitive, leaving our energy field more susceptible to outside influences. This is an excellent time to prioritize being in your own energy and to work with plant allies that create a sense of being held and supported.
Related ally: Portal Protection
The balance to coolness, chill, bite, and windiness is to bring in nourishing, rich, warm, grounding tools as medicine. As the tree pulls its energy down into its roots, we too can draw our energy inward to create balance and honor what is happening in nature.
Related ally: The Golden Thread
SUPPORTING THE BODY & MIND IN AUTUMN
Ritualistically, this is a beautiful time to work with the element of fire for balance. Lighting the hearth fires in our homes around this time of year restores warmth for our body and soul. Fire brings us inward, connecting us to the light of our spirit and the spirit within all things.
Related ally: Heart Hearth
You might:
- Incorporate candlework into your daily meditation practice
- Invite community to gather and bless the home and hearth
- Tend the hearth within by creating devotional practices in your daily routine
Working with rhythm and routine is also grounding and stabilizing during times of transition. This season can create “wind in the mind,” showing up as anxiety, uncertainty, or looping thoughts. The antidote is steadiness — more meditation, reflective time, and inward focus after summer’s outward busyness.
For this reason, calming the nervous system is incredibly valuable during the transition into fall. Practices such as oiling the body create both rhythmic devotional moments and nervous system balance. Massaging with herbal oils from the feet upward in long, slow strokes brings calm and restfulness.
Related ally: Groundwire
We can support it further by:
- Drinking warm beverages and soups
- Eating root vegetables
- Embracing grounding practices like forest walks and slower days
- Slowing down and shifting exercise routines toward gentler practices such as yin yoga or meditation
SIMPLE AUTUMN EQUINOX RITUALS
- Collect seeds from your plants that have matured. Lay them on your altar and reflect daily on their process of drying and storing encoded wisdom for spring.
- Write what you are ready to release on fallen leaves. Place them in the soil to transform into nutrients for next year’s harvest, thanking the Earth for lightening your load.
- On Equinox morning, rise before sunrise and meditate under the stars for 20 minutes. Notice your heightened sensitivity and ask the starlight to encompass your energy field with protective light.
As we honor the Autumn Equinox, we step into a season of balance, gratitude, and release. By tuning into the rhythms of nature, we learn that letting go is not an ending but a transformation that nourishes the seeds of tomorrow. Whether through ritual, reflection, or simple daily practices of warmth and grounding, this sacred turning of the year invites us to walk in harmony with the cycles of life, carrying forward only what sustains us into the quieter months ahead.
